IVF is a laboratory process where eggs and sperm are fertilized outside the body, then the healthiest embryos are implanted into the uterus. It’s expensive and not always successful, with a 30-50% pregnancy rate. Multiple births and birth defects are risks, and some people oppose it for moral or religious reasons. Unused embryos can be frozen for later use or used for scientific research.
FIV is the acronym for in vitro fertilization. This essentially means that the meeting of the egg and sperm that results in a fertilized egg or embryo happens in a laboratory instead of how pregnancy would occur under natural circumstances. This method is used in human populations when women and their partners have difficulty conceiving by natural means and usually only after other methods have been tried. It is by far one of the most expensive ways to conceive a child and is not always successful.
There are several steps to IVF for humans. Drugs are given to women to induce ovulation and then the eggs are collected. Some women may use non-producing eggs, which are called donor eggs and come from someone else. Once the eggs are collected, sperm is collected or sperm from a donor is used. The eggs and sperm are then introduced to each other, usually in things like petri dishes. Doctors choose the embryos that appear healthiest and reintroduce them into a woman’s uterus, via the cervix. Usually several fertilized eggs are introduced, to increase the chances of implantation of at least one of the embryos.
Overall, the pregnancy rate from a single IVF procedure is anywhere from 30 to 50 percent, and women younger than 40 tend toward the higher end of this pregnancy rate. Many people say that it takes an average of three attempts or cycles before pregnancy is achieved. In some cases, multiple cycles may be required, although some women will become pregnant on their first or second attempt.
The success rate of IVF appears to have increased as scientists have continued to refine this method. However, it’s not without problems. One problem is that multiple births are much more common, and introducing numerous embryos can lead to the birth of triplets, quadruplets, or even more babies. This is a significant risk to the children and the pregnant mother and some people opt for selective reduction or abortion of some of the embryos to reduce this risk. Still others find this process morally repugnant and would not consider it, even though carrying multiples greater than two increases health risks.
Babies conceived through IVF also have a higher risk of certain birth defects. They may be prone to heart defects, especially those along the heart septum which are often called “holes” in the heart. There is also an increased risk of cleft lip and palate.
For some people, IVF is too expensive to try. It is not uncommon in the United States for a single attempt to cost between 10,000 and 15,000 United States Dollars (USD). Multiple attempts can easily outrun the means of many people who would like to conceive children. Alternatively, some people don’t see this method as a moral way of thinking. Many religious groups oppose the practice, including the Roman Catholic Church. Some people aren’t opposed to the practice, but are deeply concerned about what happens to leftover embryos that aren’t implanted. Starting in 2009, those that would be discarded and on which no one claims rights, will be able to be used in the United States in scientific research or to generate stem cells.
People may not always discard extra embryos. They can pay to have them frozen and deposited in the bank for later use. Storage costs can range on average from a couple of hundred to around $1000 USD per year.
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