Lucknow, Feb 5 (IANS) It was a unique get together on Sunday at a local hospital here.

The "guests" were all test tube babies, born through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) technique.

The test tube baby meet was attended by 255 children born through IVF, including Lucknow's first IVF baby, Prarthna, who is now a young adult who gave birth to Pavani normally two years ago.

Dr Gita Khanna, veteran IVF expert and director of Ajanta Hospital said: “With treatment becoming affordable, a large number of working women from the middle class are now opting for freezing of their eggs for future delivery. This allows them to experience the joy of motherhood at their convenience and this is fast becoming a popular trend.”

“Earlier we used to get one or two such cases but now their number is in the hundreds and rising,” said Dr Khanna, insisting that gone are the days when egg freezing for future delivery was restricted to celebrities and affluent class.

Dr Khanna, who named of both Prarthana and Pavani, said that they are an inspiration for all would-be IVF parents.