In Vitro Fertilization

What is in vitro fertilization?

"In
In

vitro" literally means "in glass."

vitro fertilization is a process whereby human

life is generated in a laboratory environment like
a glass petri dish.

There are five steps to IVF treatment:

Stimulation Women are given fertility drugs to boost

their egg production.

Egg Retrieval For the removal of eggs, a surgery called

follicular aspiration is performed on the woman.

Insemination and Fertilization A mans sperm is placed

in a laboratory dish with the womans egg and stored in a
chamber. Insemination is when the sperm and the egg
combine. This process normally takes a few hours. The
outcome is successful egg fertilization.

There are five steps to IVF treatment:

Embryo Culture The division of a fertilized egg is called

an embryo. Tests are done for a few days to ensure the
embryo is safe and healthily growing.

Embryo Transfer The last step in IVF treatment is that

the embryo is placed inside the womans womb up to five
days after fertilization in the laboratory dish.

In Vitro Fertilization Diagram

In Vitro Fertilization Diagram

What Causes of Infertility can IVF Treat?

When it comes to infertility, IVF may be an option if you or your partner
have been diagnosed with:

Endometriosis - is a gynecological medical condition in which cells

from the lining of the uterus (endometrium) appear and flourish
outside the uterine cavity, most commonly on the membrane which
lines the abdominal cavity, the peritoneum

Low sperm counts

Problems with the uterus or fallopian tubes

Problems with ovulation

Antibody problems that harm sperm or eggs

The inability of sperm to penetrate or survive in the cervical mucus

An unexplained fertility problem

IVF Success Rates

The most current data available in the United States a 2009

summary complied by the Society for Reproductive Medicine
which reports the average national IVF success rates per age
group using non-donor eggs

Age <37

Age 35-37

Age 38-40

Age 41-42

Pregnancy Rate

47.6%

38.9%

30.1%

20.5%

Live Birth Rate

41.4%

31.7%

22.3%

12.6%

Some of the IVF side effects are as

follows:

Stimulation Side Effects

The drugs used to stimulate the ovaries may cause

abdominal pain and bloating. Ovarian hyper-fertility drug
stimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a result of the ovaries
becoming overstimulated.

Infertility treatments side effects from drugs can be mild

or serious. While mild cases of OHSS are treatable, severe
cases can be very dangerous.

Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, shortness of

breath, dizziness; intense nausea, and rapid weight gain.

Egg Retrieval Side Effects

A long hollow needle is used to retrieve the eggs.

Your fertility doctor will let you know what to expect, but
some women experience cramps a few hours after the
procedure.

If cramping becomes severe or bleeding occurs you need to

seek medical attention.

Embryo Transfer Side Effects

After the embryo has been transferred to the uterus,

cramping may occur.

If cramping becomes severe or bleeding occurs you need to

seek medical attention.

Ectopic Pregnancy

This abnormal pregnancy occurs outside of the womb,

after the embryo transfer.

It is one of the serious side effects of IVF pregnancy.

The ectopic pregnancy is potentially life-threatening for

the baby and mother.

Symptoms include: abnormal vaginal bleeding,

amenorrhea, breast tenderness, pain on one side of the
stomach or abdomen, severe nauseating and vomiting.

Ectopic Pregnancy

Disadvantages of IVF

IVF is expensive

The average cost of one IVF cycle in CARMI (Center for

Advanced Reproductive Medicine and Infertility), a flagship
center of the St. Lukes Medical Center- Global City, should be
around P250,000 to P300,000 unless certain other services were
added to the specific programs.

Risk of multiple birth and increased risk of miscarriage.

A multiple birth, when more than one embryo is transferred to

your uterus. Many couples consider twins to be a blessing. But a
multiple pregnancy increases your risk of having a premature
baby or a baby with a low birth weight.

Birth defects.

A review in 2013 came to the result that infants resulting from

IVF have a relative risk of birth defects of 1.32 (95% confidence
interval 1.241.42) compared to naturally conceived infants.

In 2008, an analysis of the data of the National Birth Defects

Study in the US found that certain birth defects were
significantly more common in infants conceived through IVF,
notably septal heart defects, cleft lip with or without cleft
palate, esophageal atresia, and anorectal atresia; the
mechanism of causality is unclear.

Emotionally straining.

Why is this wrong?

It is a scientific fact that human life begins at

conception/fertilization. From conception, a human embryo has
a complete genetic code and his or her growth and
development is totally coordinated from within. Human
embryos are human children--sons and daughters!

"Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from

the moment of conception. From the first moment of his
existence, a human being must be recognized as having the
rights of a person."

When this fundamental moral line is violated or obscured,

categories of people become devalued and they become easily
used for utilitarian purposes.

What about infertile couples who

desperately want a child?

No one has the right to a child. Even for the most loving of
couples, there is no right to a child through either normal
conjugal relations or reproductive technologies.

In vitro fertilization turns children into commodities. When a

couple undergoes in vitro fertilization, they are saying, "We
want a child no matter what," and the child becomes an object.
This evolves into a selective mentality, whereby couples choose
the kind of child they want.

Above all, a child is a gift. Gifts should not be controlled or

manipulated. Cooperating with God's plan for human
procreation ensures that all children are accepted as gifts.

What happens to the rest of the

embryos?

Many embryos die in the transfer process since they are

fragile.

Some embryos are unwanted and eliminated because they

are considered genetically inadequate.

Some embryos are stored alive in freezers.

Some embryos are simply killed as they are washed down

the sink.

If in vitro fertilization did not bring death or

harm to human embryos, would it be okay?

In vitro fertilization is wrong because it separates human

procreation from conjugal union. In the process, couples
make themselves the masters of human life instead of its
stewards.

Conjugal union has both a unitive and a procreative

purpose. In other words, conjugal intimacy is meant to
express both love and fruitfulness.

Because the human person is a unity of body and spirit,

both the unitive and procreative meanings of the conjugal
act must be expressed spiritually and physically. The
Biblical notion of "two in one flesh" (cf. Gen 2:24) has a
concrete significance here.

Spousal union is expressed both spiritually and physically.

And at the same time, the procreative dimension of
conjugal union yields both spiritual benefits and physical
fruits. When conjugal union is physically fruitful, a couple
participates in God's creative act instead of dominating it

Sometimes an embryo will die in normal conjugal

relations. Why is it a big deal if embryos die in the
process of in vitro fertilization?

In normal conjugal relations, no one makes the intentional

choice to cause the death or harm of embryos. With in
vitro fertilization, there is an intentional choice to carry
out a procedure whose consequences are known in
advance.

How does marital integrity protect

human dignity?

Maintaining both the unitive and procreative meanings of

conjugal union guards against the demand for children as
a right and the use of spouses for sex.

Respect for love and life as essential aspects of martial

integrity helps ensure that spouses and children are
appreciated as gifts. On a profound level, marital integrity
is needed to protect human dignity.

Isn't adoption the same as demanding

a child?

Adopting a child is accepting someone who, because of

some unfortunate circumstance, needs a loving home.
Adoption is a generous act focused on a child who already
exists.

Using in vitro fertilization is not accepting a child as a

gift, but rather manipulating a child into existence.