Use superb medical skills to realize patients' dreams of being parents
The first test-tube baby in mainland China was called Mengzhu. She was born in 1988, and the person who gave her a chance of life was Zhang Lizhu.
Born in Shanghai in 1921, Zhang Lizhu is a well-known expert in obstetrics and gynecology in my country. He is known as the "Mother of China's IVF" because of the birth of the first test-tube baby in mainland China.
The years left traces. In her medical career, Zhang Lizhu has sent a beautiful new life to everyone who aspires to be a mother, allowing love to continue.
January 15, 2021 is the 100th anniversary of Zhang Lizhu’s birth. Zhang Lizhu’s famous research office, Peking University Third Hospital National Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Research Center and other units held online academic lectures, sharing popular science knowledge, expert free consultation, etc. To commemorate this important pioneer of New China's obstetrics and gynecology and the main founder of modern Chinese reproductive medicine.
The most striking milestone in the history of Chinese reproductive medicine
The Third Hospital of Beijing Medical University still keeps a medical record file, which clearly records Mengzhu’s pregnancy process: On June 24, 1987, Zhang Lizhu performed an open surgery on a woman with a 20-year history of infertility. Inhale the follicles and obtain 4 mature eggs.
Soon thereafter, Zhang Lizhu used a "special plastic tube" to implant the successfully cultured embryo into the woman's uterus.
Seven months later, Meng Zhu, the first test-tube baby in mainland China, fell to the ground, and Zhang Lizhu succeeded.
However, such an attempt did not happen overnight.
Before the birth of Mengzhu, the clinical trial of embryo transfer was completed under the same conditions and the same method. Zhang Lizhu had tried 12 cases. It was only successful in March 1988, and the second test-tube baby was born in May 1988.
"The birth of Mengzhu is the most striking milestone in the history of Chinese reproductive medicine." At the commemoration, Professor Liu Ping of the Reproductive Medicine Center of the Third Hospital of Beijing Medical University commented on Zhang Lizhu's contribution.
Zhang Lizhu's contribution to reproductive medicine does not stop there.
At the end of 1989, she created a small trauma and repeatable egg retrieval method using a B-ultrasound needle to retrieve eggs.
This method increased the clinical pregnancy rate from 6.4% in the early stage to 32%, and the live baby rate reached 20%.
China has thus entered the international advanced ranks in this technology.
In the early 1990s, Zhang Lizhu pioneered a unique way to make a patient who had repeatedly failed pregnancy due to chromosomal abnormalities and unavailability of his own egg cells successfully became a mother.
In this way, the first egg-donated test tube baby in mainland my country was born on June 12, 1992.
Three years later, the first freeze-thaw embryo transfer in mainland my country was successful, again by a team led by Zhang Lizhu.
Faced with such achievements, Zhang Lizhu calmly said: "At present, reproductive science has become a new independent subject, and there is still work to be done."
Bring hope to countless desperate couples
"Professor Zhang is an admirable scientist." "Professor Zhang Lizhu is the first generation of obstetrics and gynecology graduate tutors in China, and he manually praised Professor Zhang." In the online commemorative activities, Zhang Lizhu's former patients and students who have taught have one after another Leave a message to commemorate this anxious patient who brought hope and love to countless desperate couples.
The patient's expectation and gratitude are also the source of strength for Zhang Lizhu to travel back then.
A patient once wrote on a greeting card sent by: “There is nothing more precious than life in the world. We have love, we have a family, but there is no new life. This kind of pain cannot be expressed in words.” Facing these Zhang Lizhu, an anxious patient, feels that the patient's eagerness makes her responsible for the IVF technique.
Due to busy work, Zhang Lizhu rarely spends time with the children.
Zhang Lizhu’s daughter won an award for an essay, but it described “Mom was called to rescue the patient at night. How I want to be with my mother.” Regarding this, Zhang Lizhu had no choice but to laugh at herself: “Mother, I deserve it. It's not decent, but I have to do my best for many mothers."
In 1955, Zhang Lizhu began to serve as the tutor of the first batch of obstetrics and gynecology graduate students in China.
In a letter to Zhang Lizhu, a graduate student said frankly: "Your strictness is sometimes unbearable." Not only does research, but also during the rounds, Zhang Lizhu is also famous for his strictness.
She asked the doctor in charge to fully understand her patient and keep the patient's condition in mind.
"The thing that annoys me the most is that the doctor holds the medical record in his hand and reads the medical record according to the book. When answering the patient's question, he must first read the medical record."
She often said to her students: "Climbing the peak of medicine is not a leap, but a step by step." "Solid foundation" is repeatedly emphasized by Zhang Lizhu when teaching students, she told them Don't just think about "taking shortcuts."
Leave valuable spiritual wealth for the reproductive medicine team
Academician Qiao Jie, who is now an expert in reproductive medicine, was placed under Zhang Lizhu on the first day of entering the hospital and was in charge of patients undergoing in vitro fertilization and assisted reproduction.
In 1988, during the six months she was transferred to obstetrics, she had the opportunity to witness the birth of Mengzhu.
It was this exciting historical moment that made Qiao Jie see the miracle of reproductive medicine and made her determined to take a deep dive in this field.
After years of hard work, the Reproductive Medicine Center of the Third Hospital of Beijing Medical University has now diagnosed and treated nearly 600,000 infertile patients at home and abroad, and performed more than 30,000 cases of assisted reproductive technology operations. Not only is it well-known throughout the country, it has also developed into a leading international reproductive health research and training base.
"At present, our center can develop advanced assisted reproductive technologies that can be developed internationally." Speaking of these, Qiao Jie is very proud.
"I saw the familiar Academician Qiao online, it was very cordial. I cherish the memory of Professor Zhang Lizhu, praise the inheritance of the Third Hospital of Beijing Medical University, and praise the outstanding team of the third hospital of Beijing Medical University." In the online science popularization and expert free consultation activities of healthier life cycle, more patients are grateful and praise Zhang Lizhu for the team that inherits his spirit and continues to realize dreams for more couples.
"The development of a discipline and the progress of a career must not depend on the individual, but on the team." In Qiao Jie's view, Professor Zhang Lizhu's unrelenting spirit of exploration and the care for patients have motivated the reproduction of the Third Hospital of Beijing Medical University. The precious spiritual wealth of the continuous improvement of the medical center team.