Every infertile couple wants to achieve the same goal which is to conceive a child, but many times through ART the unfortunate side effects are multifetal pregnancies. Assisted reproductive treatment is a widely accepted method for treating patients that suffer from infertility. There are many different methods to achieving a pregnancy through ART some being (ICIS) intracytoplasmic sperm injection, gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), and In vitro fertilization to name a few. Although the pregnancies themselves are much desired the outcome of multiple fetuses is not. In order to resolve this iatrogenic problem doctors use fetal reduction as a solution. Because of the occurrence of multifetal pregnancies due of IVF and other ART methods
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Fetal reduction is a hard choice especially for people who have been battling infertility. This is supposed to be their miracle not their source of inner turmoil. The decision to reduce is a difficult process that has to do with moral, ethical, financial and religious beliefs. In addition to these beliefs are the medical risk to the mother and pregnancy. When a patient is faced with the possibility of losing the entire pregnancy or reducing, it doesn’t seem like much of a choice and many patients despite their beliefs end up reducing. It is a violation of the patients right not to be properly informed and then have to go against all there values to ensure a safe pregnancy and live with the guilt of their choice. Therefore the problem lies in that MFPR is a treatment not a solution to this …show more content…
Twins and other higher order pregnancy tend to suffer from complications, disabilities and deliver prematurely which means a longer hospital stay. “The average hospital charge for mother and infant was $9,845, $37,947 for twins, and $109,765 for triplets” (Strong). The amount continues to rise due to different situations, for neonatal care the cost is $300,000. The financial burden continues to rise if the child is born with abnormalities, impairments, physical or neurological disabilities. The financial strain continues throughout life causing marital stress and can lead to divorce.
If it is clear as to why multiples occur, the next question is why it is allowed to continue?
The answer is that many doctors will allowed the transference of more than one or two embryos because they need higher pregnancy success rates. Not all clinics are federally funded and even if they were they still need to maintain good success rates to gain more clientele. The reason for the need of success rate is that it is mandated by the state to assure people seeking their help are going to a reputable place that knows what they are doing. This is especially important because people seeking fertility treatment pay for the procedures themselves, many insurances won’t cover the cost. No one wants to go to a clinic where their success rates are low. This puts
Fetal reduction is a hard choice especially for people who have been battling infertility. This is supposed to be their miracle not their source of inner turmoil. The decision to reduce is a difficult process that has to do with moral, ethical, financial and religious beliefs. In addition to these beliefs are the medical risk to the mother and pregnancy. When a patient is faced with the possibility of losing the entire pregnancy or reducing, it doesn’t seem like much of a choice and many patients despite their beliefs end up reducing. It is a violation of the patients right not to be properly informed and then have to go against all there values to ensure a safe pregnancy and live with the guilt of their choice. Therefore the problem lies in that MFPR is a treatment not a solution to this …show more content…
Twins and other higher order pregnancy tend to suffer from complications, disabilities and deliver prematurely which means a longer hospital stay. “The average hospital charge for mother and infant was $9,845, $37,947 for twins, and $109,765 for triplets” (Strong). The amount continues to rise due to different situations, for neonatal care the cost is $300,000. The financial burden continues to rise if the child is born with abnormalities, impairments, physical or neurological disabilities. The financial strain continues throughout life causing marital stress and can lead to divorce.
If it is clear as to why multiples occur, the next question is why it is allowed to continue?
The answer is that many doctors will allowed the transference of more than one or two embryos because they need higher pregnancy success rates. Not all clinics are federally funded and even if they were they still need to maintain good success rates to gain more clientele. The reason for the need of success rate is that it is mandated by the state to assure people seeking their help are going to a reputable place that knows what they are doing. This is especially important because people seeking fertility treatment pay for the procedures themselves, many insurances won’t cover the cost. No one wants to go to a clinic where their success rates are low. This puts