Breakthrough Babies : An IVF pioneer's tale of creating life against all odds

A fascinating personal account of the early days of IVF, from the world's first IVF clinic through nearly four decades of academic and private practice. As well as his pioneering medical-scientific work to provide new treatments for patients, Simon Fishel's career has involved battles in both the social and professional arenas.

Simon Fishel grew up in Liverpool in a non-academic household. He struggled to find a career, but eventually joined Robert Edwards and worked with him during his early IVF pioneering work, becoming part of the team in the world’s first IVF clinic, with all the trials and tribulations that involved at the time, including a writ for murder!

As the science developed over the decades so did Fishel''s career, as he sought to do more for patients, and to teach the new technologies to doctors all over the world. He came up against regulatory and establishment barriers, including fighting a 3-year legal case in the High Court of Justice, and a death threat from a doctor if he refused to work with him.

The clinic he founded has grown into the largest IVF group in the UK, developing new procedures for patients who needed these to enable them to have their children, and Fishel has helped establish clinics throughout the world, even being invited to introduce IVF to China.

This is a gripping account from the frontline of fertility treatment, revealing not only the scientific advances involved but the human cost and rewards behind this life-changing technology.