Most couples have their future planned ahead of them. From their marriage up to building their own family. They dreamed of things they want to do together and individually, as a married man or woman. One of those dreams is to have children, their mini version, little boys and girls. One thing that may hinder in fulfilling that dream is infertility. Infertility is defined by the World Health Organization as a disease of the male or female reproductive system characterized by failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. In males, it is most commonly caused by problems in the ejection of semen, absence or low levels of sperm, or abnormal shape and the movement or motility of the sperm. In females, abnormalities of the ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, and the endocrine system are some of the causes of infertility. To address this problem, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) was developed. ART includes in vitro fertilization (IVF), gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), and frozen embryo transfer (FET). This, however are exclaimed to have ethical issues concerning regulations, financial aspect, gamete and embryo donations, and the use of surrogacy and gestational carriers. In line with this, am I against or pro ART? I am pro Assisted Reproductive Technology.
In vitro fertilization is the most commonly-used type of this technology and has helped many couples to conceive successfully. In this process, mature eggs are collected and they will be mixed in a laboratory to make an embryo, then it will be transferred to the uterus. This process usually takes place three weeks or longer. Some of the benefits of IVF include having control over timing, increase in chances of having a healthy baby, and decrease in chances of having a miscarriage. Some patients to undergo IVF are parents who are busy and focused on their career, or there may be instances in their life that may affect when the mother was supposed to get pregnant. But IVF gives you control when you want the process to happen, as the eggs or embryos can be preserved for future use. It also increases the chances of having a healthy baby. Genetic screening is done to ensure that the baby is healthy. A process of genetic screening is called preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) that ensure the baby is free of some known genetic markers and medical conditions like Down syndrome, sickle cell anemia, etc. In vitro fertilization also decreases chances of having miscarriage. The PGT also determine the genetic viability of an embryo ahead of time, which enables mothers to have a better chance of enjoying a healthy pregnancy and carrying the baby full-term. And last but not the least, it increases chances of conception.
These reproductive technologies are without a doubt helpful to many couples who want to have a baby but some conditions prevented them to have. It is not an easy process; it is costly and needs a lot of thinking and decision making. But we cannot simply take away the bunch of happiness children can bring to them as a couple, as a family. We cannot say no to that.
References:
7 Ways That IVF Benefits Infertile Couples. Northern California Fertility Medical Center. https://ncfmc.com/7-ways-that-ivf-benefits-infertile-couples/
Assisted Reproductive Technologies. Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. https://www.sart.org/patients/a-patients-guide-to-assisted-reproductive-technology/general-information/assisted-reproductive-technologies/
Hi. This is my position paper for our subject Human Reproduction. We made this for a debate, and I kinda crammed this one again. Lol. But I hope you learned a thing or two. :)
Thanks for reading. <3
