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

Outline the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Assessment Statement

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”

What is IVF?

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

History

Stimulating multiple follicles to be able to retrieve the eggs

Fertilizing the eggs in the laboratory

Embryo transfer to the uterus

Overview

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

1st step

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

Tracking the process

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

2nd 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

3rd 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

4th step

If successful = pregnancy

5th step

Discuss the ethical issues associated with IVF.

Assessment Statement

Ethics behind IVF

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

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 #1

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 #2

The possible damage done to the offspring by the couple using IVF

Multiple pregnancies can also affect the baby negatively

Issue #3

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.

Questions