Pregnancy and child birth marks a distinct period in the life of a woman and almost every woman desires to experience motherhood. Assisted reproductive techniques present a ray of hope to many infertile couples who had given up all hopes of ever being able to conceive a baby. IVF can help woman experience an almost natural pregnancy. If the embryo is transferred into the mother’s uterine cavity, this technique gives her the satisfaction of bearing the baby in her uterus for nine months, similar to that of a normal pregnancy.
According to the present reports given by CDC (2005) the present success rate of IVF is about 30% which in my opinion is a very good chance of conception in a couple desiring to have a child. Even though some studies have reported occurrence of complications in the baby and the mother, in my opinion they are not serious enough as to prevent a couple from trying assisted reproductive techniques. I believe that this technique is highly advanced and scientific which with further research and studies can yield a much higher success rate.
Continued research and surveillance is required to improve the success rates of ART and to reduce any harm on maternal and child health due to ART. However IVF should be offered to the infertile couple when all other methods (like intra-uterine insemination etc) have failed. IVF is too costly and depending on its present success rate of about 30% is not a cost effective method to be used as a first choice for an infertile woman with patent tubes. At present we must not forget that a success rate of 30% also means that it is associated with a failure rate of 70%.
Thus only three out of 10 cases of IVF would be able to have a successful outcome. Failure rate of the procedure must be explained well in advance to the infertile couple in order to avoid psychological problems like depression etc in case the procedure is not successful. References Anthony, S. , Buitendijk, S. E. , Dorrepaal, C. A. , Linder, K. , Braat, D. D. , & Den Quden, A. L. (2002). Congenital malformations in 4224 children conceived after IVF. Human Reproduction, 17, 2089-2095. CDC (Centers for Disease Control): U.S.
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