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The Future of IVF
What Is Minimal Stimulation?
By Kelly Burgess
Since in America IVF often is not covered by insurance, or only covered on a limited basis, Dr. Leondires says that patients want more bang for their buck. They'll shy away from a procedure that generates only one or two eggs – thus only one or two chances at pregnancy – over a procedure that may allow them to harvest enough eggs for several IVF attempts. There's also no proof yet that the more gentle stimulation guarantees better quality eggs.
At this point the reality is that MS IVF has a lower success rate than traditional IVF and every failed attempt lowers a clinic's success rate. Right or wrong, patients pick a clinic based upon that rate. These patients don't generally care if the reason it's low is because their procedures are different; they just want a baby. As a result, most clinics don't offer MS IVF at all. Those that do have strict criteria to maximize the chances of success.
Dr. Leondires says he and his colleagues in the field of infertility don't work in a moral or ethical vacuum. He personally stresses when he gets 15 to 25 eggs and only three of them are good, he wonders: Did he overmedicate? Is there something else he missed? Then he looks at the other side, which is that he got three good eggs. There's no guarantee that would have happened with MS IVF.
Dr. Zhang's instincts were correct and Leach gave birth to Ashton on Valentine's Day. She credits the more gentle approach with her ability to conceive. "I felt like I was in a science experiment when I was going through traditional IVF," says Leach. "It was very stressful, and I felt terrible from the injections. The minimal stimulation therapy followed my natural cycle more closely, and I felt more like myself."
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Re: The Future of IVF by Jennifer on 08/24/2009 12:31AM
IVF is an amazing gift to those who are unable to conceive naturally. What is unfortunate is that there are those who try to limit science and medical advances.
Re: The Future of IVF by G on 06/23/2009 01:07PM
It's unfortunate that so much of the world finds IVF an acceptible method for achieving pregnancy. It violates the right of the child to be born out of an act of love. It turns the child into a right rather than a gift. It has a high failure rate, which means fertilized embryos (a.k.a. human lives) perish in the process. Those that don't perish are suspended indefinitely in liquid nitrogen - a grave violation of their right to live. My heart goes out to those who have trouble achieving pregnancy. As a father myself, I can't imagine what pain there must be in wanting to conceive and not being able to. But such pain, no matter how great, can never justify the use of IVF. It would be like achieving the good of material prosperity by killing someone and taking their possessions. The end result is good, but the method used for acheiving it is not.
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Re: The Future of IVF by anonymous on 02/13/2010 04:12PM
I think it is unfortunate that one person tries to judge what another person does. If you don't agree, don't do it yourself, but you have no right to judge anyone else. Live and let live.