In Vitro Fertilization Report

3B Arthur Garcia III

Pregnancy, a common ideal in ones life, it can happen to anybody, wanting a child, or even if by accident. Although pregnancy may be a problem for some, there are other ways of conceiving. In Vitro Fertilization is used to help those who dearly want a child, but are not able to conceive one through more traditional methods. Leaving the public open to give birth, to rear, and to raise a child of their own. Believe it or not, In Vitro Fertilization was first conducted successfully on rabbits during the early 1890s. Since then, scientists started thinking of ways to do the same to humans, but it was not until 1973 when the first successful in vitro pregnancy in a human occurred. Although the pregnancy did end in an early miscarriage, it was a milestone in the history of non-traditional pregnancy. The first IVF birth in the nation (USA) was in 1981 signaling the birth, if you will, of a modern more, non-traditional way of becoming pregnant. The reason being for this new form of science was because couples were having some sort of problem having children. For example, a woman that is above the age of 40 might have some problems having a child. Due to the woman having pelvic inflammatory disease or a surgery to their reproductive organs, a woman might have damaged or blocked fallopian tubes which allow the egg to travel to the uterus. Unexplained infertility, male infertility, and endometriosis (when cells from the womb grow in a different area of the body) are also indications for In Vitro Fertilization. An In Vitro Fertilization is usually a last resort for couples, when other techniques have failed. An IVF has five major steps to its process. The first being stimulation (super ovulation) in which the woman is given medicines (fertility drugs) to produce more eggs. The second is egg retrieval, in which the woman undergoes a minor surgery, so that the eggs can be used, if no eggs

In Vitro Fertilization Report

3B Arthur Garcia III

are produced, then donated eggs are also an option. The third is known as Insemination and Fertilization, this is when the sperm of the male is placed with the best eggs collected from the female, when together, they are kept under ideal conditions in an environmentally controlled chamber. This joining is known as Insemination. Fertilization occurs hours after insemination, this can be sped up if the doctor injects the sperm into the egg known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The fourth stage is known as Embryo Culture, this is when the embryo is checked and is there are any abnormalities, the parents would be asked if they want to have a pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) performed, which helps the parents decide which embryo(s) they would like to have implanted. The fifth and final stage, is Embryo transfer. In which the doctor, inserts a catheter that holds the fertilized eggs (embryos) into her vagina and into the womb. The number of children depends on how many embryos are implanted, and the number of embryos a woman can hold depends on her age. Although the procedure seems very cut and dry, there are risks and symptoms that occur after and during. In Vitro Fertilization, is for those who arent able to get pregnant from natural means, thus being stressful for a couple, being a nerve-wracking process. Emotionally, the couple is teeter-tottering work, and the stress of thinking hopefully this works. Stress and depression are very common among couples going through IVF. In addition to emotional distress, there is also bruising from excessive needle pricks, due to IVF medications being given by injection, in many cases, several times a day. A woman taking these medications, can experience a variety of side effects such as mood swings, headaches, and abdominal pain. During egg retrieval, damage can be caused to the bowel and bladder, the patient can have a reaction to

In Vitro Fertilization Report

3B Arthur Garcia III

the anesthesia, bleeding and infection may also occur. When a woman is implanted with more than one embryo through IVF, the children are at a higher risk of being born premature. In addition, the cost of an IVF ranges from about $12,000-$17,00, with insurance usually not covering the procedure. Although the procedure is costly, the success rates for women to actually give a live birth are as follows: 41-43% for women aged 34 and lower, 33-36% for women in between the ages of 35-37, 23-27% for women between the ages of 38-40, and 1318% for women of the age 41 and above. One can note that the younger the woman, the higher the success rate, although one should not be discouraged if they are above normal birthing age. In Vitro Fertilizations are a good choice for those who cannot have a child by more traditional means, but they are a very controversial topic. Doctors who perform these procedures are criticized for playing God or that any babies produced would have no soul, leaving the topic open for public discussion. As time passes and many advancements are made to the technology that helps doctors perform IVFs the viewpoint of many has been changing. Often a single or lesbian couple would not be able to have a child through IVF due to it being very difficult to find, but now many can walk into a clinic and have the procedure performed. As a result, IVFs have been proven to work throughout the years, and opinions on this subject have been changing. It has opened the door for birth for those who normally were not able to have a child, it has allowed advancements in science to expand its horizons. As these advancements continue to grow and enhance, one can just imagine the success of IVFs in the future.

In Vitro Fertilization Report

3B Arthur Garcia III

Bibliography:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001913/ http://www.tylermedicalclinic.com/IVF_Indications.htm http://www.ivf-worldwide.com/ivf-history.html http://www.ivf.net/ivf/ivf-ethics-o2120.html http://www.americanpregnancy.org/infertility/ivf.html http://in-vitro-fertilization.eu/complication-of-ivf/ http://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/invitrofertilization_indications.htm http://www.reproduction-online.org/content/124/2/181 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007279.htm