About In Vitro Fertilization
In vitro fertilization is an artificial conception method that allows the egg to be fertilized by sperm outside of the body. The fertilized egg is then planted in the woman's uterus with the hope that she will become pregnant. This method of conception is usually a last hope for women who have been unable to become pregnant through other methods. This technology has only become available in the last 30 years and has quickly evolved to help treat multiple infertility problems in both men and women.
The Facts
In vitro fertilization is the process of combining an egg and sperm outside of the body, then placing the fertilized eggs inside a woman's uterus for gestation. Babies created through in vitro fertilization are sometimes referred to as test tube babies because of the environment they are created in. The embryos are actually combined in glass petri dishes, not test tubes. Creating a baby through this process requires a healthy egg, healthy sperm, and a healthy uterus. Eggs and sperm can both be taken from donors and surrogate mothers sometimes provide a healthy uterus for the gestation period.
History of
The first in vitro fertilization was performed in 1973. While this pregnancy lasted only a few short days, it was the beginning of a series of experiments which would eventually be successful. In 1978, the first three in vitro fertilization babies were born. In 1981, a total of 14 pregnancies and 9 live births were achieved through this new medical technology. As new technology developed, a process for safely freezing and thawing sperm was developed in the late 1970s. The invention of the birth control pill also allowed in vitro fertilization to become a more friendly process. Oral contraceptives allowed physicians to time in vitro fertilization with a woman's cycle.
Significance
The development of in vitro fertilization is very significant to the field of reproductive health. In vitro fertilization allows women and couples who would not be able to become pregnant through other methods to have children. In vitro fertilization is used to treat infertility in both males and females. Males with very low sperm counts are still able to donate their sperm through intra cytoplasmic sperm injection, the ability to inject single sperm into the egg. Women suffering from a broad range of infertility issues are often able to conceive through this method. They can use either their own eggs or donor eggs for the process, and, therefore, can undergo the process even after menopause. This method of artificial conception has allowed a large number of women the chance to become pregnant and have children when all other methods failed.
Benefits
In vitro fertilization benefits many individuals and couples who would otherwise be unable to conceive. In vitro fertilization often works when all other methods, both natural and artificial, have failed. The process allows couples the chance to use either their own DNA material of donor material. The success rate for IVF is about 30%, which is relatively high for an artificial conception method.
Risk Factors
As with all medical procedures, in vitro fertilization does carry risks. One of the biggest risks from using in vitro fertilization is the chance of having multiple births. Since multiple embryos are transferred to the woman's uterus in order to maximize her chance of becoming pregnant, there is a chance that more than one embryo will develop. Babies conceived through the process of in vitro fertilization have a higher chance of being underweight than babies conceived through natural means. The reasons behind this difference have yet to be discovered. In vitro fertilization is very expensive, so it is usually considered a last resort for women who have been unable to conceive.
