We're always pretty fond of having more babies (except maybe in robot form). One way we've been getting those babies, colloquially known as "test tube babies," is through in-vitro fertilization (IVF). We've been doing it that way since 1978, and we just hit an estimated 5 million babies through IVF.

The practice, which was first successful in 1978, accounts for a surprisingly high 1 percent of births in the United States.

The World Health Organization estimates that 10 to 15 percent of reproductive-aged couples suffer from infertility. For these couples, IVF offers a second chance at having biological children.

It remains a controversial issue, especially among religious groups who are against the discarding of unneeded embryos, and it saw slow beginnings. By 1984, only 350 children were born through IVF, and it wasn't until 2001 that the 1 million mark was hit. Things have obviously picked up since then. It's estimated that 350,000 annual births are via IVF.

And given most people's love of babies, it shows no signs of slowing down.

Via Singularity Hub