In Vitro Fertilization: Right or Wrong Imagine you are a woman in her late twenties and you find out

that you are unable to have children through normal contraception. You decide to look into in vitro fertilization but you dont know whether it is safe or not. Wouldnt you want to know as much as you can about this procedure before you decide to go through with it? There are a lot more risks and dangers to this procedure than people think. Most importantly, women need to know what could possibly happen if they completed in vitro fertilization. Would you be able to handle the consequences if they were to happen to you? These are questions that women must fully consider. The negative effects of this procedure outweigh the positives greatly. According to the American Pregnancy Association, IVF is the process of fertilization by manually combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish. When the IVF procedure is successful, the process is combined with a procedure known as embryo transfer, which involves physically placing the embryo in the uterus. First, the female is given fertility medications in order to increase the chance of producing eggs and regulate the timing of the eggs ripening. Then, the eggs are physically collected through a hollow needle, which is referred to as follicular aspiration. After that, the sperm is collected from the male and is ready for combination. The sperm and eggs are placed in an incubator in order for fertilization to occur. Finally, the embryos are put back into the female and are usually painless, but some women experience some cramping. Once this step is completed, it is just a matter of waiting. There is a wide range of negative risks and side effects coming from their procedures. However, the negative side effects can differ between the fetus and the

mother. Babies specifically are at risk of a multitude of birth defects. One of the sources to these defects can stem from having multiple births after one single procedure. It is possible for a mother to conceive two or more children at once due to the amount of embryos that are implanted. This can result in defects to the children as well as long-term side effects for the mother. Miscarriages also become more common after IVF due to the age of the mother. Finally, another long-term side effect that is could possibly occur is cardiac related. Studies show that children conceived through IVF have shown to have faster pulse-wave velocity than other babies. This can be caused by many mistakes including handling of the embryos, exposure to outside of the body, or even parental subfertility. Would you want your child to be at risk for any of these terrible side effects? What would happen if he/she were to grow up with heart problems or birth defects? These are questions that all soon-to-be mothers must ask themselves before they take this risk. One of the most common side effects to IVF in mothers is called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. This is caused by injectable fertility drugs to induce ovulation. It results in the swelling and pain of the ovaries after showing symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and vomiting within a week. This is a serious medical issue and if you become pregnant, the pain will only increase. This wide range of drugs may also result in ovarian cancer as well. Although these tumors may be easy to treat if caught early, they still have the ability to grow and become serious. Since they are so difficult to detect, there is a higher chance of missing one and catching it once it has become severe. Surprisingly, the medication is not the only cause to the possible problems. The aspirating needle has also shown instances of bleeding, infections, and

damage to the bladder or blood vessels. Although this is uncommon, it is still a possibility, similar to the possibility of premature births and low birth weight. Mothers need to worry about themselves as well as the risks of the child. Undergoing this procedure puts mothers at a higher risk of multiple pregnancies, ovarian cancer, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, and even financial and emotional stress. Is it worth the risk now? The ethical issues surrounding this topic greatly affect this argument. From a religious perspective, people believe that it is simply wrong to conceive a child in any other way besides the normal way. It goes against a wide range of religious beliefs relating to the idea that we are taking the Lords work into our own hands, said by Pope Pius III. Besides the religious aspect, people also believe that is morally wrong as well. How can a mother put herself, as well as her child, at risk of these short and long-term effects? IVF does not have a 100 perfect success rate and the older you get, the less likely you are able to conceive. What is the point of spending your money on a procedure that isnt likely to work? One round of IVF can range from 10,000 to 20,000 dollars in cost. Most facilities also have a no return policy and will not refund your money if the procedure fails to work. Even if it didnt fail, you would have to pay thousands of dollars on top of that if you or your baby were to have any side effects. Ovarian cancer, cardiac problems, and other infections are just three out of the many possible side effects. Besides physical damage, excess amount of stress and lack of money will also occur in the long run. Now let me ask you, is IVF worth the risks?