Dr. Peter Kemeter explains…

Right from the start of my education at the 2nd University Women's Clinic in Vienna in 1970 I was concerned with hormonal imbalances and sterility. After the first in vitro birth (outside of the body in a glass) of a child in 1977, carried out by Steptoe and Edwards in England, this method became the main focus of our work.

Things were however much more complicated in those days. The eggs (oocytes) were removed from the ovaries by doing a laparoscopy (abdominoscopy). During this treatment, which is carried out under complete narcosis, an optical instrument is inserted through the navel into the abdominal cavity. This is only possible if the abdomen has been filled with CO2 gas in order to protect the intestines from harm. Further, the patient had to take urine samples every 6 hours, in order to find the LH surge and calculate the optimal time to retrieve the oocyte.

Finally in 1981, after many unsuccessful attempts, Ms. Jovanovic, a patient from Yugoslavia, became pregnant and had a baby boy called Slatan. That was the first successful IVF child in Austria. The success of the team consisting of Wilfried Feichtinger, Stephan Szalay und Peter Kemeter caused quite a stir in the media. (Title page 1982, First Austrian IVF-Baby, lit. nr. 44)

The team however soon broke up. Stephan Szalay went to Klagenfurt as head gynaecologist and Feichtinger and myself founded a private institute for IVF in Vienna. There we were able to simplify the procedure. Firstly, we adopted the Scandinavian technique of ultrasonic puncturing of the ovaries (follicle puncturing) through the abdominal wall, which does not require a complete narcosis. Since then the treatment has so advanced that the patients can maintain their outpatient status. Finally we changed to vaginal puncturing techniques, which are even less stressful for the patient. This is today the most commonly used method worldwide.

As a result our Institute developed extremely well and we have had many scientific works published. Later I integrated the psychosomatic component to the treatment and realised just how much discussions can help patients.

After a long search, I found a successor in Alexander Schütz. He brings with him experience of the most modern methods of artificial reproduction, due not only to his education at the University Clinic in Heidelberg, but also through his work in the construction and establishment of the IVF department at Oberpullendorf Hospital in Burgenland. He also emphasises the need for personal contact to the couples and values individual and personal treatment, just as I have done in the last ten years. I am proud to say that the Adebar Institute continues in the traditions that I helped define. I will however not retire just yet completely from the field and remain in an advisory roll to aid my successor.