“Counseling the Infertile Couple”
Being a pastor of family ministries with three healthy children, it is hard for me to counsel other couples on infertility. I have also been on the other side of the table facing these infertility choices in my first marriage. There was a choice we faced regarding selective termination if we did conceive after hormone therapy. In a way, I am glad we did not conceive because my ex-wife and I opposed each other on this procedure. I was opposed to the procedure while my wife accepted it. As a pastor having to counsel others with the problem of infertility, there are a lot of choices to be made regarding infertility.
I believe God has given doctors the technology to assist couples in the process of conceiving a child. How far a couple goes to conceive a child is the problem we are facing as Christians in today’s culture. Assisted reproductive technologies allow many couples with infertility problems to bear children. But with the plethora of options come tough decisions. Couples must weigh the financial, emotional and physical costs of each treatment against its chances of success. The ethical ramifications of creating life in a lab is also a consideration Christian couples often look to their faith for guidance. God has given us the job of exercising dominion over all the earth (Gen. 1:26), which includes using medical technologies to assist us in reproduction.
The first step in infertility treatment is diagnostic testing for would-be parents. Treatments may be as simple as drugs to stimulate ovulation or as complicated as in vitro fertilization. Some couples may achieve pregnancy quickly, but others may have to decide to pursue assisted reproductive technologies. Since the first “test-tube baby” was born, in vitro fertilization has become a common procedure in fertility treatment.
A key issue couples considering in vitro fertilization is the use of their embryos. The woman often produces more eggs than can be used during a single IVF attempt. The extra embryos can be frozen to use in subsequent procedures, or a couple may have them destroyed, kept in storage indefinitely or donated to another infertile couple. Another issue is how many embryos should be placed back in the uterus. The fewer used, the lower chances of multiple pregnancies and a higher risk for complications. The more used, the couple faces the issue of more embryos taking hold in the uterus and having to decide terminating one or more of the fetuses to give the remaining ones a better chance of survival.
“IVF Patient Numbers and Success Rates Continue to Rise." Human Fertlisation & Embryology Authority. Dec. 2007. .
Couples experiencing infertility issues now have a number of options at their disposal from in-vitro fertilization to intrauterine insemination or going as far as using a surrogate and donor eggs or donor sperm. Technology has made it possible for someone to experience the joy of parenthood regardless of whether they can naturally conceive children. All of these procedures come with their own ethical questions and pros and cons. One of the biggest moral dilemmas is what to do with the left-over embryos still in storage when a family has decided they have had enough children. Most couples see this ethical quandary because they recognize that the embryos are whole human beings and do not think it is morally right to dispose
family and considering embryo reproduction. New medical and science technology in the embryo industry across the nation provide opportunities for childless couples to utilize technology advancements to assist with reproduction but with religion, moral and legal considerations when selecting this extra-ordinary process in today's society. All four sources function with detailed information regarding embryo reproduction and the impact and process effecting many couples with fertility issues. These sources provide valuable information for couples and prospective donors covering various topics critical to decision making during the embryo reproduction process.
For many years, infertile couples have had difficulty facing the reality that they can not have children. According to Nidus Information Services Incorporated, 6.2 million women in the United States are infertile. This problem leads to many options. A few options have been used for a long period of time: the couple could adopt a child or keep trying to have a child themselves. For those couples that want to have their own children, there are new options arising. In vetro fertilization is an option that gives couples the chance to have a doctor combine the male's sperm and the woman's eggs in a petri dish and implant them into the woman's womb after the artificial conception. This may result in multiple pregnancies - more than five in some cases. This does not only occur in implantation, however. Many times the patient's doctor will ask her to consider selective reduction: aborting a few fetuses to save the ones she can. In a case of multiple pregnancy, selective reduction should be considered an option.
“Managing Infertility.” USNews.com. Stanford University Medical Center, 31 Mar. 2007. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. .
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a complex series of procedures used to help those who want children but struggle with infertility. The process consists of extracting eggs from a woman and collecting a man’s sperm sample then manually combining them in a lab dish. Once the embryo(s) are created they are transferred to a woman’s uterus. IVF is commonly used in woman who cannot conceive on their own due to different reasonings. “These include but are not limited to blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, male factor infertility, woman with ovulation disorders, genetic disorders, woman who have had their fallopian tubes removed and unexplained infertility.” (American Pregnancy)
In Vitro Fertilization is one of the assisted reproductive technologies. Technically, It is not a technology. It is the procedure to help people who couldn’t have a child due to several reasons. The main reason why couples couldn’t produce a child is due to infertility. Infertility of humans is already common thing. Based on the research from the world health organization in 2010, 48.5 million couples couldn’t have a child due to infertility. This is a very large number and it is in need for a solution. Therefore, IVF have been the solution for those people. It is now the major treatment to treat infertility for humans. However, IVF is not only spreading positive image to the society. IVF also created some controversy with some group of people and it is regarding the
The technique of in vitro fertilization or IVF removes several eggs from the ovaries for fertilization in the laboratory. After a few days, one or two of these fertilized eggs which are now known as embryos are returned to the uterus in the hope that they implant and become a pregnancy. Women undergoing IVF are given special reproductive hormones to encourage several eggs to develop in the ovaries. Final maturation of the egg itself is induced by the administration of a further hormone. Thirty-six hours later, the fluid containing the eggs are drawn from the ovary with a needle; this is usually performed under light sedation in a short, outpatient procedure with the doctor using ultra-sound to check proceedings. The eggs collected from the ovary are then mixed with a sample of the male partner sperm which has been already washed and concentrated. The eggs and sperm are then left in an incubator set at thirty-seven degrees at thirty-four hours so fertilization can take place. During this time, only one of many sperm cells will penetrate ...
According to M in We Are Egg Donors she mentions, “I have found dozens and dozens of more women with the same struggle. Like me, they have felt used, and abused, and left out in the cold while our bodies forsake us from the procedure while the clinic and government turn their heads” (2013). This is a perfect example of the long-term effects these egg retrieval procedures can cause. Trying to help an infertile couple to try to conceive so that they may experience “creation” itself may leave you infertile and unable to have you own children. In so many cases women suffer of psychological problems, such as feeling guilty for giving their eggs knowing that it later will eventually led to a child, all done for the sake of money. As for men fathering children through IVF, there are men that find themselves wanting to be a part of the child life but unable because they signed a contract. The emotional toll it takes on a child to know she was donor-conceived, later to know that their donor does not want to be contacted and rather maintain anonymity. The spouse that is a parent to the child but is not biologically his/hers can lead to issues between parents and children. Feelings of hatred, envy, regret, unworthiness, and grief as one parent
There are a great number of issues to deliberate when one considers IVF – many of these being questions of ethics, legality and psychosocial issues. We studied the case of Yvonne and Matthew, a couple who struggled to conceive for 5 years and subsequently sought to undergo IVF treatment. After two unsuccessful rounds of treatment, the couple split. Yvonne intends to continue IVF with the remaining frozen embryos. Matthew, however, does not agree and is considering his legal options on the matter. The various facets of this case are discussed below.
Test tube babies have long been stigmatized by society as the unnatural results of scientific dabbling. The words `test tube baby' have been used by school children as an insult, and many adults have seen an artificial means of giving birth as something perhaps only necessary for a lesbian woman, or a luxury item only available to the elite few. The reality is that assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have been helping infertile couples have children since 1978.1 The methods of in vitro fertilization, it's variants, and the other ART procedures are ways for persons that would otherwise have no hope of conception to conceive and, in a rapidly growing percentage of cases, give birth to healthy babies. As the technology has developed, the quality and range of assistance has developed as well. At present, the means of assisted reproduction and the capabilities of these procedures has grown at a somewhat dizzying pace. However, thought to the repercussions of the applications of ART are being disregarded to some extent while the public's knowledge and the understanding of embryologists and geneticists surges forward. It is possible given consideration to things such as the morality of these techniques, the unexplored alternative uses of these procedures, and the potential impact they posses that further development is unnecessary and possibly dangerous.
Infertility is a heart breaking reality that has existed throughout history and is something that people still face today. As technology is advancing, doctors are able to give people more options to help them achieve a pregnancy. One option that technology has allowed for is surrogate motherhood, or placing a fertilized egg into a woman to develop. Gestational surrogacy, one method of the process, implants a couple’s fertilized egg into another woman who then carries the baby to full term. This is a great and safe method for couples today, but is highly misunderstood. Surrogacy allows parents to have a child with their genetics, unlike other options. Different religious groups don’t believe it is morally correct and some pro-life campaigners
Infertility is caused by a physical abnormality that can occur in males and females and increases in older ages. SC’s mother was presented with fertility issues when she and her husband began to conceive a baby. She went through numerous fertility drugs and five different procedures one of them being In Vitro Fertilization. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a process where an egg from the female is fertilized outside the body with the male’s sperm. In SC’s case, he was one of three eggs that was fertilized and transferred back into the uterus. During this time, SC’s mother was very emotional because she was told that the embryos only had a 10% chance of survival. When she received the news about being pregnant, she began calling him her “little miracle.” She has showed concerns about how this procedure will affect his physical, emotional, and cognitive development in the future. Mothers who conceived through assisted reproduction expressed greater warmth towards their child and reported that they were more emotionally involved and interacted more with their child than mothers who had conceived naturally (Gibson, F. L., & Ungerer, J. A., 2000). As the interviewer, I could tell there was a strong emotional attachment between the child and his mother. According to a study on the mother-child relationship, there were concerns raised about the potential for
An important scientific argument for IVF is that, by studying fertilization and early embryonic development outside the womb, scientists might learn more about how to prevent certain birth defects (1). This proves that IVF could actually make improvements in medical advances, especially in regards to prenatal care. This is just one example of how IVF can actually be beneficial to the community. The only times that babies are malformed or sick are when the mother puts more than one baby in her uterus. Multiple fetuses increase the chance of birth defects because they have a greater chance of preterm birth, which is associated with long-term health. The long-term illnesses are cerebral palsy, mental illness, and blindness (Reddy 1). With this in mind, having single births is very safe and those babies are still healthy today, just like Sarah and Maggie Marshall’s baby. Single births are also very highly recommended by medical personnel. Going back to the first test tube baby the Browns were expecting, and Steptoe (the doctor) thought that this baby would be a failure. When they did a cesarean on July 25, 1978, a beautiful baby girl was born at 5 pounds and 12 ounces. After the baby was born, the doctor recalled that
On July 25 in 1978, a baby was born in England to a family who had been attempting to have a child for over nine years. The child, Louis Brown, was conceived as a result of in vitro fertilization. Brown is known to be the “world’s first [successful] test tube baby” and she, along with her family, were thrust under the spotlight of the media and science world alike (“The World’s First Test Tube Baby”). After the fertilization and birth were both successful, in vitro fertilization, or IVF, became a large topic for debate and medical expansion. Since 1978, it is believed that over 5 million babies have been born from in vitro fertilization (“ART Fact Sheet”). In 2012 alone, 61,000 babies were born via IVF, making this procedure extremely popular (Doucleff). Despite the fact that this process has helped many families have children when they normally would never have the opportunity to, in vitro fertilization is a highly controversially topic that has been subject to debate since it first became a fertility option in 1978.