In Vitro Ferilization (IVF)

 In Vitro Ferilization (IVF)

By Jaxon Spinell

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a medical treatment that is used to allow those who are not able to have children to have biological children. This has allowed many people to conceive children when in other cases this would not be possible. As a result of this technology, over ten million births have occurred that otherwise would not have been possible otherwise (Chris Baraniuk). In today’s day in age, it is commonplace for people to know about the treatment of IVF due to its widespread popularity, but despite this, the drawbacks and possible risks of IVF are not well known. In addition to this, the companies associated with IVF treatments are highly unregulated, meaning that research on the subject of IVF as well as data that is needed to improve the treatment.

Chart of IVF births over Time (A Guide to IVF Success Rates by Andrew Mackay)

The history of IVF begins in 1959 when Dr. Min Cheuh Chang became the first person to successfully produce the first IVF organisms. Dr. Min Cheuh Chang worked out of the Worcester Foundation and was able to pioneer this procedure with bunnies.

Dr. Min Cheuh Chang

 Fastforwarding to the 1970’s, the first attempts on humans occurred. An Australian research team at Monash University was able to have the first successful IVF treatment. Although this was the case, the pregnancy itself only lasted for a few days. Another failed treatment occurred at the Columbian Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. This attempt was not advised by any type of research committee/group and was disbanded. Finally, the first fully successful attempt occurred in England in 1978 which was performed by Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Dr. Robert Edwards. This would mark the first fully successful IVF and would lead to the birth of Louise Brown. After this first full successful treatment, the lab techniques were refined and eventually became open to the 

Public.

This is Louise Brown today

Now how does IVF actually work? The process of IVF takes about 6-8 weeks and consists of giving the mother hormones in order to increase fertility. The first step of this is to give the mother a hormone known as Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). This essentially allows the follicles that would hold eggs to be produced more. The second step is known as Follicular Aspiration which means that the eggs are removed from the ovaries. The next step is sperm collection from the male and after that is the insemination of the egg. This egg is then placed back into the uterus so that the embryo can fully develop.

This procedure can be a great opportunity for couples who cannot conceive or have gone past the age to do so. But even though this is a good option, what is the likelihood that these procedures are actually successful and what are the risks of undergoing this procedure? One of the biggest problems with this procedure is cost. According to Fertility IQ which analyzed the cost of IVF in cities, costs can average around twenty thousand dollars. Furthermore, it is likely that IVF is done a second time in order to have success with the procedure which can amount to fifty thousand dollars. To make matters worse, there are only fifteen states that have insurance that will cover this procedure. 

 

Chart from Fertility IQ

Now what is the actual likelihood of success with a procedure like IVF? The likelihood for a successful procedure for those over forty years old is exorbitantly low. The failure rate is eighty-eighty to ninety five percent for those in this age range. Furthermore, even the success rate for those under the age of thirty five is also extremely low. The failure rate for this cohort is sixty percent. The safety of this procedure is also at question with there being a twenty-six percent chance of a birth defect. While this procedure allows for those who are infertile to have a chance to conceive a child, the chances are not in favor of those who are still young. When looking at both factors including pay and likelihood of success, this procedure generally does not favor the couples in need.

Another big issue with IVF is its lack of regulation. A lot of things about the IVF procedure are still unknown and uncertain. Since there are no governmental regulations on releasing data other than the success rate of IVF by clinics, a lot of information is left in the dark. For example, one pressing issue is the use of media cultures that are used to grow embryos. We are still unsure how different forms of media affect an embryo’s development due to lack of research and lack of data sent out by IVF clinics. In order for this procedure to improve and help those in need, there must be an obligation to release data so we don’t have to burden couples anymore than they have been. This brings me to my next point which is the mental health of mothers during this process.

As we saw in Chapter thirty-five of Beyond Bioethics, Miriam Zoll struggled with the procedure as she had multiple unsuccessful attempts. She documented that she ended up feeling that she was to blame for her infertility leading to mental health issues. Many mothers deal with this struggle and this emotional stress is exacerbated during the initial stages of IVF. The procedure requires the use of many drugs that stimulate fertility in order to properly grow a viable egg which can put further stress on the mother. In some cases, despite the parents having a low chance of conceiving, they continue to invest in this procedure which can affect their health as well as cost them financially.

In conclusion, I feel that IVF is a great opportunity for those in need, but the potential risks to the mother as well as the likelihood of success need to greatly be accounted for. Couples must be informed about their likelihood of their success so they are not caught in a loop of financial loss. In addition to this, this procedure is not something that the couples should deal with by themselves and I think it would be worthwhile to invest in the improvement as well as support those mentally and financially that are going through this difficult process.