IVF: A good option for women and couples.

Having a child is something that most women or couples want but sometimes there are issues that prevent them to have them like infertility, being single, being older, same sex couples, etc. but with the advance of science and technology we are able to get In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatments which require the extraction of eggs and sperm from the couple, inseminate and incubate them outside the womb and then put them back into it in order to conceive in an artificial way (see Fig.1). Though this is a great step for science and couples, there is a lot of controversy regarding this topic..

Fig.1  How In Vitro Fertilization works
(Image courtesy of Google)

In Vitro Fertilization has been used for many years to help women get pregnant and finally have children they were waiting so much to have. There are many who oppose to this and say that they should be adopting instead of trying this expensive treatment arguing that there are a lot of children who are waiting for a home. While this is true, there are many people that want genetically same children and there's nothing wrong with that thought. If they are willing to go with the treatment and know about the risks involved then they should go ahead and try to get what they want the most. There are many cases of couples that first try In Vitro Fertilization before considering adopting and I know that I would choose to do that if I were in that situation. 

Another reason why some people oppose is that the baby can suffer many consequences, like birth defects, underdevelopment, psychological problems, etc. but what they don’t take into considerations is those risks could happen to any other type of birth, of course the percentage is higher while using In Vitro Fertilization but if the woman or couple do their homework and see that this is something that they can handle and it is a good treatment for them then IVF is something that could change her/their lives forever. My aunt struggled for many years to conceived a baby, my whole family could see how much she and my uncle wanted to have a baby, it seemed that was the only thing they could think about. After all those years they decided to try IVF treatment which changed their lives drastically. The treatment of course was expensive, time consuming and mentally and physically exhausting but at the end it gave them the most wonderful gift in the world, a child of their own. What a wonderful moment when he was born, and now nineteen years later we are all so glad for their decision to go ahead with IVF treatments and to have him in our lives and I cannot imagine how life would be without him.

Doctors advice about the consequences of In Vitro Fertilization for the mother, like for example, there might be some psychological problems arising from the treatment. It is not guaranteed that the mother will get pregnant on the first round of treatment, in fact there is a huge possibility that it might take at least 3 rounds and if the mother is not prepared for this it can really affect her greatly emotionally. In my aunt's case she had two treatments, the first one failed and she lost twins, it was devastating but she had a good doctor that explained to her, before starting the treatments, that this was a possibility and that she should be prepared in every sense for that. Because of her doctor's warnings, she was prepared and she kept going strong and and fortunately the second round was successful.

There are many consequences for this treatment but the amount of women who decide to take the risks is increasing exponentially by the passing of years. Some women do it is because they want to experience childbirth, That is one of the reasons many decide to take this path because they feel that in order to be fully a mother they need to experience that, and In Vitro Fertilization can give them that opportunity

IVF can bring happiness to the couple that is struggling conceiving.
(Image Courtesy of Google)

In Vitro Fertilization is a great way to help people have children. There are many risks involved but having a new life as the desired result outweighs all the consequences and if the parents are willing to go through this long taxing process not matter what might arise later on, then it is a great option for them. I believe that In Vitro Fertilization can bring hope and happiness to the people that is struggling a lot for that desired child.