I DON’T want to discuss the personal IVF journey of Tony Abbott’s staffer Peta Credlin. Others can examine the politics of the Opposition Leader’s foray into the issue this past week. But there is a new opportunity to talk about IVF. It is difficult to criticise a procedure seen as ‘‘life-giving’’, and tempting to overlook the human costs.
The Opposition Leader says he supports IVF because he is ‘‘pro family’’. But we need to face the reality that despite IVF industry publicity, with photos of smiling babies set to pastel, most couples undergoing the procedure will never see a live baby.
In 2010, there were 61,774 assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment cycles performed in Australia and NZ. Of these, a mere 18.1 per cent resulted in a live baby.
There is a higher risk of miscarriage, terminations for foetal abnormality, stillbirth, a 2.5 times higher rate of death, a high risk of caesarean and pre-term birth, (33 per cent in IVF babies, 7.9 per cent in non-IVF babies) and low birth weight (26.4 per cent, 6.8 per cent in non-IVF babies).
IVF babies have more health problems. A large Ontario study found a 58 per cent greater risk of defects in IVF infants.
There’s an increased risk of heart defects (2.1 times), cleft lip/palate (2.4 times) and anorectal atresia (3.7 times). Gastrointestinal problems are nine times higher in IVF babies. A Switzerland study has found abnormalities in the blood vessels of 12-yearolds born through IVF.
There are ethical concerns about the thousands of stockpiled frozen embryos — about 40,000 in Victoria. Most are destroyed (20,000 discarded in Victoria in 10 years) and many are used in experiments. Then there is the cost. Medicare underwrote $217.4 million in costs from July 2011 to June 2012.
The cost of an IVF baby to women aged 30-33 years is $27,000, and for women 42-45 it is $131,000.
Egg extraction involves weeks of psychological and medical testing, followed by hormone injections. A long needle is used to pierce the wall of the vagina, access the ovaries and remove the eggs. The aim is to get as many eggs as possible. I know women who have had more than 20 eggs extracted.
Side-effects of the hormones include hot flushes, emotional turmoil, bloating, visual changes, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and multiple pregnancy. Ninety-two IVF cycles in 2010 resulted in one or more of the foetuses being aborted.
An estimated 10 per cent of women develop hyperstimulation syndrome, which can be fatal. There were 206 cases in 2010.
Researchers from the Netherlands have found that women having ovarian stimulation have a twice as high a risk of ovarian malignancies.
Given the lack of adequate safety data, how can women exercise informed consent?
Marketed as the only option, women are often put on the IVF treadmill before others are explored. I know women referred to IVF in their late 20s who, after abandoning the program, went on to have children naturally.
Of course many couples would adopt if it wasn’t so costly (up to $50,000 per child) and time-consuming. Australia has been accused of having an anti-adoption ethos, with the lowest adoption rate in the developing world.
In 2011-12, there were 333 adoptions in Australia (149 from overseas) — the lowest on record.
Yes, there is a strong desire for a baby. But research on women’s experiences of ART shows many feel physically, emotionally and financially drained, and suffer anxiety, depression and relationship problems.
Women have a right to realistic expectations about outcomes and risks. Some women say they were given hope but not enough information. We welcome every baby born but this huge global enterprise has not cured infertility.
While it may have brought joy to some women with the birth of a baby, it has come with significant physical and emotional suffering for many more.
Published in Sunday Herald Sun Jan 14 2013
5 Responses
Thank you Melinda! Yes, there are many ‘costs’ in the process of IVF as you point out. I can see how you are not criticising those who use IVF but are pointing out that there are many other effects that women are experiencing as a result of the process, which can be very taxing in many different ways and more often than not, the process does not result with a live baby. In your article you make it about the woman (and the man) who is involved in the process and not solely about the baby at the end, which I feel is very important. And you make another important point, that this ‘huge global enterprise has not cured infertility’. The question we need to be asking is why is IVF such big business? Why are the infertility rates continuing to climb? This is in no way critical of anyone who is or has or will use IVF…it is simply a way of getting some real answers and maybe going deeper with it. Without asking these kinds of questions, I feel that we are missing the real issue…which is, as a society, how did we get ourselves to a point where we need IVF in the first place?
It’s a shame it’s still being sold as the magic solution when the “success” rates are so low. I was shocked many years ago to learn how many couples end up with a baby through IVF and it hasn’t improved in twenty years. And as for “informed consent”, sadly it doesn’t really exist in this country. We Australians pride ourselves on having high standards of medical care and yet as “patients” are given next to no information. The maternity system in particular chooses to put fear of birth into women instead of informing them of what their choices REALLY are.
Like you ask at the end of the article, what harm are we really doing to women, babies, and families with these procedures which only offer a happy ending to less than 20% of couples?
What I find so sad is that the IVF business relies on women feeling ‘incomplete’ without having had a baby. Their business relies on selling the idea of a ‘perfect’ family and further playing on women’s emotional and physical vulnerabilities. It’s not right that women who have difficulty having children are made to feel second-class unless they try IVF.
While being pro-family, we also need to be supportive of couples who aren’t able to have children, not portraying the idea that they are incomplete without a child.
I’ve personally seen many women who have undergone IVF suffer a lot of anxiety throughout the pregnancy because of the roller coaster they have been on – they literally do not breathe until that baby is delivered safely. And don’t get me started about the social engineering through the exorbitant cost of it!
In response to the quote, “Marketed as the only option, women are often put on the IVF treadmill before others are explored. I know women referred to IVF in their late 20s who, after abandoning the program, went on to have children naturally.”
Here is (one of many) a touching testimonial of a patient I treated for “unexplained” infertility issues, using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Jeff Fricot – SynerQi Wellness Center, Narellan NSW.
“All my life I wanted to have a family. Nine years ago I decided it was time to start. I conceived easily but miscarried in the first trimester. It was devastating. I conceived again within months and was convinced my first pregnancy was just bad luck. This time it would work out. Only it didn’t. I went to the doctor, had every test known to man and was declared medically “normal” I conceived again and miscarried…again. Desperate to stop this horrible pattern I was referred to a gynecologist. She did the tests again and found nothing wrong. I was told to “keep trying”. A few years later I conceived again…and again it ended in the first trimester. By this time I was 39. I was losing hope but couldn’t quite bring myself to give up trying.
My stepsister had finally had a successful pregnancy after trying TCM. I decided to be open minded and give it a go. I spent a year with one practitioner without success. Then I found Jeff.
He impressed me from the start with his gentle and attentive personality. He asked a thousand and one questions, checked my tongue and pulse and recommended a course of action. Herbs twice daily and regular acupuncture sessions. I found the prices very reasonable. The herbs were an acquired (cough!) taste. The acupuncture sessions were divinely relaxing and pleasant. Jeff is skilled at massage. I usually left half drooling! A few months went by and nothing was happening. I felt that Jeff was concerned but I had renewed faith. The treatment was fine tuned.
One day I had a strange feeling. I just knew I was pregnant again but this time it felt different. In the past whenever I fell pregnant I would feel a bit feverish (coinciding with Jeff’s “excess heat” diagnosis) but this time my felt calm. A few days later I tested and got a faint positive. I told Jeff and we cautiously anticipated a successful pregnancy. Early on I started losing my symptoms and started thinking the worst. I remember coming in for my weekly session and seeing a woman laughing and playing with her baby. Later when Jeff left the room I could hear the baby giggling and, fighting tears, thought “God, that’s all I want”.
But I was still pregnant at 6 weeks, then 7. Throughout it all Jeff was both professional and kind, listening to my fears and turmoil without judgment or trying to dismiss my feelings. I made it to 8 weeks,then 9 then 10 (I’d never home that far before). Had an ultrasound-there was a healthy looking normal embryo in there (ultrasounds had only brought bad news in the past) I made it to 13weeks without incident. Jeff said the treatment was done and the pregnancy continued drama free. My blood pressure and the baby’s heartbeat was great. In fact I had a textbook perfect pregnancy… On the ninth of March I gave birth to a big (54cm, 9 pound) beautiful and healthy boy. I turned 43 in February.
I am so glad I finally found Jeff and was able to (finally!) have the baby I had so longed for. I only wish I had started earlier. I tell everyone who will listen about my success and would recommend Jeff without hesitation. He has been a godsend, truly!”
For more information or questions about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM):
http://www.synerqi.com.au
http://www.facebook.com/SynerQiWellnessCenterTCM
The posted testimonial acts as a means of hope amongst couples experiencing difficulties conceiving. There are natural, affordable and non stressful options.