As Louise Brown, the world's first child conceived through assisted reproductive technology or in vitro fertilization turns 30, we realize that the world we live in has changed significantly over the past three decades in terms of mentality and technology.

Despite fears from some groups that in vitro fertilization might be the end of sex or scientists' way of playing God, 30 years later we see that Louise Brown is now just one small piece of a puzzle that has expanded to almost 3.5 million people around the world.

The assisted reproductive technology is a known efficient treatment for many cases of infertility that seem hopeless. The process takes place in a controlled environment, and involves the artificial fertilization of a woman's ova or eggs. Once fertilized, the egg is transferred into the woman's uterus, where pregnancy should take its natural course.

Louise Brown was born amid fears of a lab experiment ready to turn bad and morality controversy. She was born in 1978, at a time when the procedure was still experimental, and there had been no successful results prior to that.

Although an in vitro fertilization doesn't guarantee a successful pregnancy, many women today opt for this method as for any other medical treatment. Furthermore, the in vitro fertilization has broken not only medical frustrations, but also age boundaries, as more and more women over 40 try it (although pregnancy rate in their case is rather small).

According to WHO estimations, over 80 million people worldwide are affected by infertility, while one in ten couples experience primary or secondary infertility, most of them in developing countries, where assisted reproductive technology services are not available.

However, even in developing countries, not all couples have access to assisted reproductive technology, due to high costs of the procedures and national policies regarding accessibility and reimbursement of the treatment, WHO informs.