In Vitro Fertilization Essay

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Assisted Reproduction - In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

The menstrual cycle of fertile women lasts around one month, to be more specific 28 days. During this cycle and under the influence of the body’s natural hormones, a tiny sac in the ovary containing an egg grows to about the size of a grape. At a point midway in the cycle, the egg is released in the ovary and ovulation occurs. Hormones also regulate ovulation. LH, otherwise known as luteinizing hormone and FSH known as follicle stimulating hormone are released from the pituitary gland during ovulation. Estrogen levels peak during this particular phase and causes the surge in LH and FSH hormone levels. The egg, which from this moment on is ready for fertilization, then passes into the uterine tubes to await the arrival of fertile sperm. Ovulation is a natural event in the menstrual cycle, and the desire to have children is a natural instinct as well. Unfortunately there are many cases where the inability to produce a child is present, however there are many means of assisted reproduction, where the production of a child can occur through assistance. A popular means of assisted reproduction is IVF, otherwise known as In Vitro Fertilization.

There are countless causes of involuntary infertility or the inability to produce a child, and thankfully, to the credit of scientific research there are numerous methods to solve these unfortunate cases. IVF has become widely known and is a popular solution to these infertility cases. Many couples seek treatment through IVF from many factors that affect infertility, most common being unexplained infertility, ageing (female fertility decreases significantly after the age of 35), conditions in women such as endometriosis (where the ...

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...have a child with a genetic disorder that could have been prevented, and ensure a successful pregnancy. Some couples however do choose embryos according to certain characteristic traits as listed. Is selecting a certain embryo from a range of embryos that have equal potential at life fair, even though they have disease? It brings people to the question of aborting a child if it had a disability?

In essence, a lot of issues arise from the fact that IVF creates life while knowingly destroying it in the process. The chance of a child surviving comes from the necessity of many other potential lives (embryos) being created and then dying (discarded or frozen, however even freezing does not guarantee chances of living). For one surviving child, many other children have been given life (combining sperm and egg) with the awareness that most of them will not make it.

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