scholarly journals The unknown face of in vitro fertilization

2012 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
José María Pardo Sáenz

Lo scopo di questo articolo è quello di mostrare il volto sconosciuto dei metodi artificiali di riproduzione umana. In generale, le cliniche per la fecondazione umana mostrano solo il volto più attraente della fecondazione in vitro: il neonato. Eppure, non hanno mai mostrato l’altra faccia di essa: la procedura lunga e drammatica che sta dietro. Dopo aver fatto un breve cenno alla attribuzione del Premio Nobel per la Medicina 2010 Robert Edwards, padre della fecondazione in vitro, analizziamo le due radici che sostengono il grande albero di metodi artificiali di riproduzione umana: lo scientismo e il sentimentalismo. Poi si studia l’aspetto etico di queste procedure. Siamo giunti ad un giudizio eticamente negativo su queste tecniche, dal momento che snaturano il significato della sessualità umana e l’atto coniugale. Subito dopo, analizziamo alcune delle conseguenze più frequenti di tali metodi: “la mortalità embrionale” associata con tali tecniche; “il congelamento degli embrioni in eccesso”; “i rischi per la salute”, sia del neonato così come quella della donna. Tutti questi sono elementi che la coppia deve prendere in considerazione al fine di prendere la decisione più libera e più responsabile possibile. Infine, spieghiamo il “pendio scivoloso” relativo all’uso di queste tecniche (il bambino medicalizzato, i bambini à la carte, la maternità surrogata e il mercantilismo riproduttivo): ciò che è stato sviluppato con uno intento ben preciso, per risolvere il problema di infertilità, ha sicuramente aperto nuove importanti questioni etiche. ---------- The purpose of this article is to show the unknown face of artificial human reproduction methods. Generally, human fertilization clinics only show the most attractive face of in vitro fertilization: the newborn. Yet, they never show the other face of it: the long and dramatic procedure behind it. After briefly mentioning the 2010 Nobel Medicine Award granted to Robert Edwards, the father of in vitro fertilization, we analyze the two roots that support the big tree of artificial human reproduction methods: scientism and sentimentalism. Then we study the ethical aspect of these procedures. We come to the conclusion that these techniques are ethically negative since they denaturalize the meaning of human sexuality and the conjugal act. Right after that, we analyze some of the most frequent consequences of such methods: “embryonic mortality” and directly related to it exceeding “embryo freezing”; “the risks for the health”, both of the newborn as well as that of the woman. All those are elements that the couple must take into consideration in order to make the freest and most responsible decision possible. Finally, we explain the “slippery slope” effect in the use of these techniques (medicine babies, babies a la carte, surrogate maternity and reproductive mercantilism): what was developed with a very specific aim in mind, to remedy the infertility problem, has definitely open new and important ethical concerns.

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (22) ◽  
pp. 2424-2429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kutluk Oktay ◽  
Volkan Turan ◽  
Giuliano Bedoschi ◽  
Fernanda S. Pacheco ◽  
Fred Moy

Purpose We have previously reported an approach to ovarian stimulation for the purpose of fertility preservation (FP) in women with breast cancer via embryo freezing with the concurrent use of letrozole. The aim of this study was to provide the pregnancy and FP outcomes when embryos generated with the same protocol are used. Patients and Methods In all, 131 women with stage ≤ 3 breast cancer underwent ovarian stimulation and received concurrent letrozole 5 mg per day before receiving adjuvant chemotherapy and cryopreserving embryos. Results Thirty-three of the 131 women underwent 40 attempts to transfer embryos to their own uterus (n = 18) or via the use of a gestational carrier (n = 22) at a mean age of 41.5 ± 4.3 years with a median 5.25 years after embryo cryopreservation. The overall live birth rate per embryo transfer was similar to the US national mean among infertile women of a similar age undergoing in vitro fertilization–embryo transfer (45.0 v 38.2; P = .2). Seven (38.8%) of the 18 pregnancies were twins with no higher-order pregnancies being encountered. No fetal anomalies or malformations were reported in 25 children after a mean follow-up of 40.4 ± 26.4 months. Seventeen of the 33 women attempting pregnancy had at least one child, translating into an FP rate of 51.5% per attempting woman. Conclusion Embryo cryopreservation after ovarian stimulation with the letrozole and follicle-stimulating hormone protocol preserves fertility in women with breast cancer and results in pregnancy rates comparable to those expected in a noncancer population undergoing in vitro fertilization.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 263349412091735
Author(s):  
Jonathan L. Tilly ◽  
Dori C. Woods

A now large body of work has solidified the central role that mitochondria play in oocyte development, fertilization, and embryogenesis. From these studies, a new technology termed autologous germline mitochondrial energy transfer was developed for improving pregnancy success rates in assisted reproduction. Unlike prior clinical studies that relied on the use of donor, or nonautologous, mitochondria for microinjection into eggs of women with a history of repeated in vitro fertilization failure to enhance pregnancy success, autologous germline mitochondrial energy transfer uses autologous mitochondria collected from oogonial stem cells of the same woman undergoing the fertility treatment. Initial trials of autologous germline mitochondrial energy transfer during - in vitro fertilization at three different sites with a total of 104 patients indicated a benefit of the procedure for improving pregnancy success rates, with the birth of children conceived through the inclusion of autologous germline mitochondrial energy transfer during in vitro fertilization. However, a fourth clinical study, consisting of 57 patients, failed to show a benefit of autologous germline mitochondrial energy transfer– in vitro fertilization versus in vitro fertilization alone for improving cumulative live birth rates. Complicating this area of work further, a recent mouse study, which claimed to test the long-term safety of autologous mitochondrial supplementation during in vitro fertilization, raised concerns over the use of the procedure for reproduction. However, autologous mitochondria were not actually used for preclinical testing in this mouse study. The unwarranted fears that this new study’s erroneous conclusions could cause in women who have become pregnant through the use of autologous germline mitochondrial energy transfer during- in vitro fertilization highlight the critical need for accurate reporting of preclinical work that has immediate bearing on human clinical studies.


Author(s):  
dr. hafiz muhammad sani

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) has emerged as one of the most popular byproduct of Assistant Reproductive Technology (ART) in our time. It has proven attractive to people across the globe for variety of reasons including infertility treatment and pre-natal sex selection. People of various cultures have reacted to its use in line with their own code of morality and religious values on human procreation, sexual purity and lineage exactitude. In the case of Muslims, its application for overcoming infertility has received general juridical approval with minimum number of caveats. A cursory of the existing fatwas, however reveals that the juristic deliberation on the implications of IVF in terms of destroying the excess embryos generated in the process is scanty. Accordingly, this study argues that if we equate legitimate use of IVF with natural way of human reproduction, then the ethicality of its casualties in terms of surplus embryo destruction should not be trivialized.


Clinical Risk ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 197-200
Author(s):  
William L Ledger

This paper is a review of current techniques and best practice in reproductive medicine, including preimplantation genetic diagnosis and embryo freezing, and management of pregnancy after in vitro fertilization. It discusses medicolegal aspects that can arise from failure to follow best practice including ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and mistakes occurring in the embryology laboratory.


1993 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 1240-1244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Franken ◽  
Thinus F. Kruger ◽  
Sergio Oehninger ◽  
Charles C. Coddington ◽  
Carl Lombard ◽  
...  

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