In Vitro Fertilization

Current Status of IVF

Many individuals are looking to alternatives in child bearing, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) being one of the most popular. IVF in the United States is a costly procedure. It can cost up to $12,000 for one attempt and that is not adding the cost of additional attempts should the first one fail. There are individuals who are in debt for $60,000 in attempting to get pregnant through IVF. Fertility treatments are now a hot commodity, especially in the global marketplace. Many women are looking to oversea options in having IVF done. One major factor in women going overseas is the price tag. IVF overseas is about ј of the price it is in the US.

Price Tag of One Cycle of IVF (*Estimated prices, not including donor eggs or fertility drugs, based on costs from top clinics and converted to US dollars.)

Brief History of In Vitro Fertilization

In Vitro Fertilization is a fertility procedure in which medical physicians remove eggs from the ovaries of a female, fertilize them in a laboratory, and then replace the embryos back into the female's uterus where they implant and mature. In Vitro literally mean "in glass" meaning the Petri dishes that the eggs are placed into for fertilization. This procedure first came into place in England about 25 years ago by the late Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Dr. Robert Edwards. The first successfully delivered baby through IVF is Louise Brown on July 25, 1978. She is considered the world's first "test tube baby." IVF was introduced, as a means to assist couples who were not successful in becoming pregnant. It has proven to be a successful means of having child for those couples who had ovulation disorders, unexplained fertility, endometriosis, and male factor problems. The IVF procedure is responsible for the birth of more than 500,000 healthy children around the world. While it may seem that IVF is the answer there are risks involved in this miracle procedure. It can be a psychologically stressful time for the parents to be especially if they are unsuccessful. This procedure is also not guaranteed to end in a successful pregnancy. There are instances in which there is a risk of abnormal pregnancy, miscarriage, or premature delivery. Couples who decided to partake in this procedure are counseled in making sure that they understand the risks involved and the outcomes if one does become pregnant. Throughout this paper we will discuss the pros and cons of IVF and the advancements of IVF since it was first introduced 25 years ago.

Argument 1- Why in vitro fertilization is beneficial.

Infertility is widespread: about 7% of married couples in the United States are unable to conceive after 12 months of unprotected intercourse (Purdy, 2001, Bioethics of New Assisted Reproduction). In Vitro Fertilization is used when a women has irreparably damaged fallopian

tubes. Using this, attempts to fertilize the egg outside her body. In vitro fertilization can help women with hopelessly blocked fallopian

tubes to become pregnant (Purdy, 2001, Bioethics of New Assisted Reproduction). In addition, in vitro fertilization could lower the costs

associated with the use of advanced assisted reproductive technology (Teays&Purdy, 2001, Bioethics,Justice,&Health Care,p.648).Currently, the number of in vitro fertilization procedures that can be performed by 100 heath-care workers is about 1,000 per year. Any implication of medical and laboratory procedures that could improve results would decrease the number of healthcare workers needed and ultimately lower the cost per procedure (Teays&Purdy, 2001, Bioethics,Justice,&Health Care,p648).

Argument 2- why is in vitro fertilization beneficial.

IVF has many benefits for couples who have tried to conceive a child of their own and have little or no success. IVF takes nature into the laboratory and gives a helping hand with the fertilization of the egg. Many times this is attempted because of the egg not being able to fall into the fallopian tube as nature had intended or the male sperm has a low motility rate. Either way if the couple has the time and the energy, IVF is a way for them to have a child of there genetics and nurturing touch.

I was able to personally interview a person that went through this process almost seven years ago. The reason for going this way was because the couple had tried for a couple of years trying to conceive a child the natural way of the sperm penetrating the egg in the female body. They tried all sorts of methods; using calendars, having infertility drugs injected and pretty much all the known methods of the time. After visiting a military fertility clinic, they were referred to Bethesda Medical facility. There they had found out their options. The male in this case had a vasectomy reversal that was in effect for 11 years. At the time he was 42 years of age and his wife was 39. In the scheme of things, trying to conceive at these ages needs a little help on average. After the reversal, the male found out that his sperm was in multitudes and of good quality, but they lacked motility, ability to swim. They talked to the doctor and he gave them their options. They opted to try IVF. After a week long grueling process, they had left the hospital with zygote that had spilt into four cells. Unfortunately none of the cells had taken and they were back to the clinic. This time they harvested more eggs and were able top get four zygotes imbedded in the uterus. This time the female was to take thousands of dollars worth of medication to help the young soon to be son to grow. There were six seeks of injecting what was described as sesame seed oil with a large needle. The process worked this time and several long months later they had a son. He is now six years of age and is healthy with no abnormalities so to speak of. There were no other options for this couple because at the time adoption was out of the question, just because there were no Caucasian infants in the area to adopt. If the IVF did not work the second time, they had all ready decided that they would just have a bunch of animals.

This was from an interview with my boss (T. Goodall personal communications, April 2005) who had also stated that he was glad he was still active duty in the Marine Corps because he stated he would not have been able to afford the whole process. As he stated,"it's one of the perks for being in the military."