Jean Purdy - The Forgotten Pioneer of IVF

Jean Purdy was a British nurse and embryologist who played a central role in creating the world’s first successful in-vitro fertilization (IVF) baby.

When most people hear about the invention of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), they think of Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Dr. Robert Edwards. These two men are remembered as pioneers of the groundbreaking treatment that has allowed millions of families to have children. But there was a third member of their team, someone just as central to the success of IVF, Jean Purdy. For many years, her story was almost forgotten, but without her, the world’s first “test-tube baby” might never have been born.

Jean Purdy’s path into science was not a straight one. She first trained as a nurse, not as a scientist, but her intelligence and determination quickly made her indispensable. In 1968, Robert Edwards was beginning a new project with Patrick Steptoe. Edwards was an embryologist who dreamed of fertilizing human eggs outside the body to help women with blocked reproductive tracts. Steptoe, a surgeon and gynecologist, had expertise in early keyhole surgery, which they hoped would make egg retrieval possible.

This was the team that Jean Purdy joined. Hired as a lab technician, she was originally tasked with running the laboratory. In reality, she did far more. Based in Cambridge, she regularly drove hundreds of miles to their clinic in Oldham, Greater Manchester, often staying away from home for days. Purdy was so indispensable that when she could not travel while caring for her sick mother, all progress stopped. Edwards later recalled, “Jean’s cooperation had become crucial. It was no longer just Patrick and me. We had become a threesome.”

Purdy’s contributions were both practical and scientific. She co-authored 26 academic papers with Edwards between 1970 and 1985 and was the first person to recognize and describe the human blastocyst, an early stage of embryo development. She was also the very first to witness the cell division of the embryo that became Louise Brown, the world’s first IVF baby, born in 1978.

After Louise’s birth, the team’s success was undeniable. Another IVF baby, Alastair MacDonald, was soon born. Demand for fertility treatments grew quickly, and the trio needed a clinic. It was Purdy who searched through old manor houses in Cambridge until she found Bourn Hall. Opened in 1980, it became the world’s first IVF clinic and is still operating today. Purdy became Technical Director, guiding the clinic as it gave hope to families. Between Louise Brown’s birth and Purdy’s untimely death in 1985, 370 IVF babies were born.

Sadly, Purdy died of cancer at only 39 years old. Her early passing meant she could not write books, appear in documentaries, or continue advocating for her role. While Steptoe died a few years later, his name remained well known. Edwards lived long enough to receive the Nobel Prize in 2010. Purdy’s name, however, slipped into the shadows.

Some believe her gender or her title as “lab technician” caused people to dismiss her importance, even though her work was vital. Edwards himself disagreed, fighting to recognize her. He even protested when her name was left off a commemorative plaque at Oldham Hospital, writing, “Jean Purdy… contributed as much as I did to the project. I regard her as an equal contributor to Patrick Steptoe and myself.”

Decades later, her story is finally being remembered. In 2019, records and letters surfaced that proved how essential she was to IVF’s success. Thanks to this evidence, Jean Purdy is beginning to receive the recognition she always deserved.

Today, IVF has transformed reproductive medicine. Since 1978, more than 8 million babies worldwide have been born through IVF. Behind each of those lives is Jean Purdy’s quiet brilliance and perseverance. Though her name was nearly forgotten, her legacy lives on in every child born through the treatment she helped create.

References:
Gosden, Roger. “Jean Marian Purdy Remembered - The Hidden Life of an IVF Pioneer.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28881151/.
“Jean Purdy: An IVF Pioneer.” WIN, www.winfertility.com/blog/jean-purdy-an-ivf-pioneer/.
Sharpe, Helen. “Jean Purdy – the Forgotten IVF Pioneer.” Science Museum Blog, 16 Feb. 2021, blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/jean-purdy-the-forgotten-ivf-pioneer/.

Key words:
Innovation, Science, Courage, Perseverance, Responsibility, Selflessness, Make a Difference, Stand Up for Your Beliefs

Image Citation:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International