Infertility affects nearly 6.1 million Americans. This is roughly 10% of men and woman of reproductive age. In vitro fertilization or IVF was first performed successfully in the United States in 1981. It is estimated that over 250,000 babies have been born as a result of IVF. However less than 5% of infertile couples use IVF to become pregnant. It is typically used for a woman who has blocked fallopian tubes or lacks fallopian tubes all together. It is also used when a man suffers from endometriosis which is problems with the sperm such as low sperm count.
There are 5 steps to the IVF process. The first step is to prescribe fertility medications to allow more than one egg to ripen at once. This is called ovulation induction. Multiple eggs are desired due to the possibility that some of the eggs won't develop or become fertilized. The second step is a minor surgical procedure to remove the eggs from the ovaries. This surgery is usually guided by ultrasound. They are removed using a hollow needed and the process is called follicular aspiration. The third step is to obtain sperm through ejaculation in order to fertilize the eggs. The fourth step is a process called insemination where the sperm and the eggs are placed in incubators in a laboratory. The eggs are then monitored to confirm whether fertilization occurred and to make sure the cell division is taking place. The fifth and final step is to transfer the now called embryos into the uterus. This can be done anytime within 1-6 days after fertilization but is usually done between days 2-3.
Each time embryos are inserted into the uterus, it is called a cycle. The success rate of one cycle depends on the age of the woman. For woman under the age under 35 the success rate is 30-35%. 25% for women ages 35 to 37, 15-20% for woman 38 to 40 and 6-10% for women over 40. Of the cycles that result in a live birth, 63% are single babies, 32% are twins, and 5% are triplets or more. The average cost of one cycle is $12,400.
More information on IVF can be found at the American Pregnancy Association and emedicine health
I wonder how this treatment falls in the expense catagory compared to other treatments? After spending $12,400 I would hope that this treatment would work.
ReplyDeletePeople also need to be careful about IVF because the probability of more than one embryo implanting. You hear all of these stories about women giving birth to 6 or more babies, which puts risk on the health and survival of the babies because they aren't fully developed.
ReplyDeleteI researched some of the debates on ethical issues on In vitro fertilization. Most of the debates are spread out over a wide variety of issues such as money and possible failures of this procedure. As well as possible physical and mental stresses that both the child and the parents go through. Another debate that I found rather interesting was the ethics behind age of the mother. In my opinion I believe that the older the parents, the higher the risks there are for that child and they should deeply reconsider this procedure. Here are some links I found on ethical debates on IVF:
ReplyDeletehttp://pedsinreview.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/20/8/e28
http://www.bmj.com/content/310/6992/1455.extract
I wonder if this is less successful when the fertility issues come from the woman's end. I wonder this because I figure there might be more wrong with her reproductive organ if there is the one issue causing her to not be able to conceive.
ReplyDeleteDue to my mom's fallopian tubes being blocked, I was born via IVF and so were my quintuplet siblings. So I am very grateful for IVF.
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