site.btaBulgaria Welcomes Its First IVF Baby in 1988

The first baby conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Bulgaria was born at the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Medical Academy, Sofia on January 3, 1988.

The girl was named Iliyana after Iliya Vatev and her birth on January 3, 1988 made Bulgaria the first country in Southeast Europe to carry out the procedure successfully.

A few days later, on January 14, 1988, the second baby in the country conceived through IVF was born at the obstetrics and gynaecology ward of Second City Hospital.

In Bulgaria, attempts to conceive through assisted reproduction began back in 1976 by a team at Medical Academy in Sofia. The idea for a programme to apply the method came from Iliya Vatev, head of the laboratory at the Department of Biology at Medical University, Sofia. He introduced a completely new field in Bulgarian medicine through fundamental work on IVF techniques and micromanipulations on eggs and early embryos.

Vatev founded Bulgaria’s first specialized IVF and preimplantation embryology laboratory.

BTA's Internal Information Bulletin reported on the birth of Bulgaria’s first IVF baby:

Be Happy, Iliyana!

Sofia, January 3, 1988 /BTA correspondent Ekaterina Borisova/ At 4:00 p.m., the first IVF-conceived baby was born at the Research Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Medical Academy. The newborn weighed 3,650 g and measured 52 cm in length.

The joyful mother was Tina Tirilova, a 22-year-old worker at a relay factory in Rila.

The delivery was performed surgically by Deputy Director Georgi Yordanov, assisted by Unit Head Stoyan Stoyanov and anesthesiologist Chavdar Chernev.

The IVF procedure, performed under ultrasound guidance, has been used worldwide for seven to eight years. “This is a major success for our country,” Stoyanov said. He added that efforts to implement this modern method should continue, as it could help women who are unable to conceive naturally.

A project team in Bulgaria, led by Director Kiril Mirkov, worked on in vitro fertilization and human embryo transfer.

“I’m incredibly happy,” said the father, Krum Tirilov, a 30-year-old worker. “Once again, I want to thank the team who did everything to help us have a baby: Dr. Iliyan Vatev, Dr. Evelina Mateeva, Dr. Atanas Shterev, and Dr. Metodi Istatkov. And because I believe Dr. Vatev’s embryology work was crucial, our daughter will bear his name, Iliyana,” he added.

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Another Happy Bulgarian Family

Sofia, January 14, 1988 /BTA correspondent Tsveta Ivanova/ The day began on a joyful note at the obstetrics and gynaecology ward of Second City Hospital. At 8:20 a.m., the country’s second IVF baby was born: yet another success for Bulgarian specialists. The newborn weighed 3.570 kg and measured 53 cm in length. The mother, now 26, was also born in the same hospital. The parents asked to remain anonymous for the time being.

The delivery was performed by caesarean section by Professor Dimitar Radonov, Associate Professor Atanas Shterev, Lyubomir Ivanov, Rumyana Marinova, Yosif Dimitrov, and Emiliya Hristova.

After the tension subsided and the “young man” was safely in the caring hands of his mother and the midwives, Radonov did not conceal his delight at the successful outcome. This, he said, was the programme’s second baby, delivered under a joint initiative with the Research Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Institute of Endocrinology, Gerontology and Geriatrics at the Medical Academy. IVF, he added, was a major achievement for Bulgarian medicine; in use worldwide for seven or eight years, it had already made it possible to bring happiness to many families.

“We are building on the positive experience of all our colleagues who have worked and continue to work in this field, and above all on Iliya Vatev, who conducted the biological component of the experiment,” Shterev said.

“Building on our previous achievements, we aim to streamline the creative search process. We will continue our work and look forward to welcoming our next babies,” he said.

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January 21: Midwives’ Day

Two Years to Nine Million

Sofia, January 21, 1988 /BTA/ Statisticians expected Bulgaria’s nine-millionth citizen to be born in 1990. The country moved closer to the nine-million mark last year, when 115,586 children were born.

According to preliminary data from the Central Statistical Administration, 80,121 babies were born in urban areas and 35,465 in rural areas. The capital’s population increased by 14,425 newborns. Nationwide, the birth rate was 12.9 live births per 1,000 population.

In 1987, Bulgaria also welcomed quintuplets born to 23-year-old Tina Licheva from Srednogorie. Bulgaria’s first IVF baby was born the previous year, with the first successful outcomes recorded on January 3 and January 14: two healthy children, a girl and a boy. More “brothers and sisters” conceived through in vitro fertilization were expected the following year.