IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) Maria Valles, Ricardo Chibás, Daniela Torres

Outline the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Assessment Statement

What is IVF? Fertilization “in glass” Process of creating an embryo by artificially putting eggs and sperm together Alternative method of creating an embryo/ biological baby Referred to as “test tube babies”

History Louise Brown was the first IVF baby in the world. She was born in July of 1978 in England Louise was 28 (in 2006) when she had her own baby (without IVF) Hundreds of thousands of children are now born every year as a result of IVF

Overview Stimulating multiple follicles to be able to retrieve the eggs Fertilizing the eggs in the laboratory Embryo transfer to the uterus

1st step The cycle includes 19 shots, seven patches, and 126 pills $5,000 (for drugs needed in 1 cycle) 2 weeks of estrogen pills to stop menstrual cycle Doctor can “reset” the clock and monitor process Injecting: Follistim and Menopur hormone extracted from the urine of postmenopausal women Goal → increase the number of eggs the body releases per month & strengthen them

Tracking the process Woman’s eggs are too small to be seen on an ultrasound Halfway through the cycle doctor counts follicles in woman’s ovaries Fluid-filled sacks the eggs grow inside Track how well fertility medications are working If not enough, process will have to start all over Blood is drawn daily to track hormone levels

2nd step Woman: When eggs have grown and matured → removed from uterus Process includes: pain medication, a doctor, nurses, a catheter, an ultrasound, a microscope, and an embryologist. Man: Sperm retrieval

3rd step ICSI (Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection) Minutes after extraction, embryologists implants one healthy sperm into each freshly removed egg Several days later, embryologist looks at Petri dishes under a microscope to see whether any of the eggs has transformed into a blastocyst the cluster of five cells that will eventually divide

4th step Implementation A catheter is used to snake the blastocyst inside the uterus Place embryo in the exact spot “Babies on ice” Remaining fertilized eggs are frozen

5th step If successful = pregnancy

Discuss the ethical issues associated with IVF. Assessment Statement

Ethics behind IVF http://www.spuc.org.uk/education/art/ivfnotes.pdf

Issue #1 The possible damage done to the Pre-embryo Embryo's that are not transferred to the women's uterus, will be either destroyed or used for research purposes The embryo could be considered living

Issue #2 The possible damage done to the infertile couple or the expected offspring by the physician. The percentage of success when performing IVF, depends on the number of embryos transferred to the uterus. Therefore, the more transfers that are done, the greater the chance that the woman has of becoming pregnant. This creates many risks for both the mother and the embryo. To begin with, mental and physical threats are presented to the mother (these include: high blood pressure or uterine bleeding). Also, medical costs run high with issues such as these.  

Issue #3 The possible damage done to the offspring by the couple using IVF Multiple pregnancies can also affect the baby negatively

Questions Define a blastocyst. How is it determined if the woman is able to carry the fertilized egg and become pregnant? State two advantages and disadvantages of using IVF.