Gillette Stadium Will Host the Largest-Ever Gathering of IVF Babies

Photo via istock.com/LittleNY

By reproductive endocrinologist Michael Alper’s estimates, he’s helped bring as many as 80,000 babies into the world since founding Boston IVF, a local fertility clinic, 30 years ago. And on October 21, thousands of those children and parents will come together in celebration.

Alper and his colleagues are inviting all Boston IVF “babies”—who now range in age from one month to 30 years old—and their families to gather at Gillette Stadium for an event dubbed the Baby Bowl. “We said, ‘Look, we’re coming up on 30 years of service to the community, and wouldn’t it be nice if we just invited everybody who’s had a baby with us?” Alper says. “We weren’t sure how many people would want to go, but when we posted it on Facebook, within a handful of days we had 3,000 RSVPs.”

The event will be so expansive, in fact, that Alper says he believes it’ll be the largest gathering of IVF babies ever. That’s in part because Boston IVF is an industry veteran that’s been serving families for decades—it was founded “when IVF was in its embryonic form,” he jokes—and in part because attitudes have shifted over time.

“You go back 20, 30 years ago, everybody kept this a secret. People didn’t talk about it,” he says of infertility. “Now people are much more open about health issues and their journeys through life, so to speak. More people are just totally comfortable celebrating something that was a struggle sometime in the past.”

Families will do that by coming together at the Baby Bowl to bond over their shared experiences, and to enjoy a day of fun and games at Gillette, culminating in a massive group picture on the field. And for Alper, the day will be a living testimonial to the impact his clinic has had over the past 30 years.

“It’s exciting for us,” he says. “Every day is a good day when you can help somebody.”