Solving a mystery

A few weeks ago I spent an hour or so in the company of Tokyo-based journalist Kazumoto Ohno, who is writing about the early days of IVF and had some questions for me.

It was a nice chat on a Saturday morning and he had travelled many miles to meet me. He really wanted to know more about my Mum and Dad and everything they went through as the first couple in the world to have IVF treatment.

Of course we chatted about the relationship of my family with Patrick Steptoe and Bob Edwards and we had a long discussion about all the new techniques there are in IVF these days, including the way male fertility issues can be dealt with.

It was fantastic to hear a little of the Japanese perspective on things. Mr Ohno is a world traveller and it brought home to me once again how IVF has now touched just about every corner of the globe. I mentioned how my parents took me to Japan when I was a toddler, although I can’t remember it!

Mr Ohno told me how he had lunched with Bob Edwards in Tokyo some years ago and it got me thinking about the stories my parents told me about their visit to Japan and the photos I have of that visit.

The Mysterious “Sumo genius”