[ad_1]
Conceiving a child in the next five to 10 years might look like something out of a science fiction movie.
[ad_2]
Tag: IVF
-
IVF-Conceived Children Show Strong Developmental Performance
[ad_1]
Feb. 7, 2023 – In vitro fertilization has been around long enough that researchers can now compare developmental and academic achievements between these children and peers at school age.
Amber Kennedy, MBBS, and colleagues did just that. They found little difference in these milestones between a total of 11,059 IVF-conceived children and 401,654 spontaneously conceived children in a new study.
“Parents considering IVF and health care professionals can be reassured that the school age developmental and educational outcomes of IVF-conceived children are equivalent to their peers,” says Kennedy, lead author and obstetrician and gynecologist at Mercy Hospital for Women at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
The findings were published online Jan. 24 in the journal PLOS Medicine.
“Overall, we know that children born through IVF are doing fine in terms of health, but also emotionally and cognitively. So I wasn’t surprised. I live in this world,” says Ariadna Cymet Lanski, PsyD, chair of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Mental Health Professional Group, who was not affiliated with the study.
Some previous researchers linked conception via IVF to an increased risk of congenital abnormalities, autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, and intellectual disability.
Asked why the current study did not find increased risks, Kennedy says, “Our population included a relatively recent birth cohort, which may explain some differences from previous studies as IVF practices have evolved over time.”
An estimated 8 million people worldwide have been conceived through IVF since the first birth in 1978, the researchers says. In Australia, this has grown from 2% of births in the year 2000 to now nearly 5% or 1 in 20 live births, Kennedy says. “Consequently, it is important to understand the longer-term outcomes for this population of children.”
Along with senior author Anthea Lindquist, MBBS, Kennedy and colleagues studied 585,659 single births in Victoria, Australia, between 2005 and 2014. They did not include multiple births like twins or triplets.
The investigators compared 4,697 children conceived via IVF and 168,503 others conceived spontaneously using a standard developmental measure, the Australian Early Developmental Census (AEDC). They also assessed 8,976 children in the IVF group and 333,335 other children on a standard educational measure, the National Assessment Program–Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).
For example, the developmental census measures developmental vulnerability. Kennedy and colleagues found a 0.3% difference in favor of IVF-conceived children, which statistically was no different than zero.
Similarly, the researchers report that IVF conception had essentially no effect on overall the literacy score, with an adjusted average difference of 0.03.
Lanski says the results should be reassuring for people considering IVF. “I can see the value of the study.” The findings “probably brings a lot of comfort … if you want to build a family and medically this is what’s recommended.”
Not all IVF techniques are the same, and the researches want to take a deeper dive to evaluate any distinctions among them. For example, Kennedy says, “We plan to investigate the same school-aged outcomes after specific IVF-associated techniques.”
[ad_2]
-
Senate Democrats Seek To Protect IVF Ahead Of Looming Attacks In Abortion Fight
[ad_1]
As politicians and organizers across the country battle ongoing abortion restrictions in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s demise, many are gearing up for the next fight in the war on reproductive justice: ensuring continued access to in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments.
Democratic Sens. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) and Patty Murray (Wash.) are anticipating that fight with the introduction of new legislation, the Right To Build Families Act of 2022. The bill, introduced in the Senate on Thursday morning, codifies protections for assisted reproductive technologies, including allowing patients to retain rights to their reproductive genetic material and protecting physicians who provide assisted fertility services. The legislation also seeks to allow the Department of Justice to pursue civil action against any state that attempts to restrict access to IVF and other fertility services.
“IVF advocates in this country today are publicly telling us, ‘We need this kind of legislation to be able to protect this,’” Murray told HuffPost by phone on Wednesday. “And here we are after the Dobbs decision where states are enacting laws and we have [anti-abortion] advocates who are now starting to talk, especially behind closed doors, about stopping the right for women and men to have IVF procedures done.”
Many people may not realize that attacks on a person’s right to abortion care also threaten a person’s right to choose to have children. Abortion care and fertility treatments like IVF are intricately linked because of how many Republican lawmakers are redefining when life begins.
IVF is a medical procedure in which an egg is fertilized by sperm outside the body and then implanted into the uterus. Sometimes, physicians will implant multiple fertilized eggs into the uterus to give the person a better chance at a successful pregnancy. Suppose this results in a multiple pregnancy (i.e., twins, triplets, etc.). In that case, people can choose a fetal reduction — lowering the number of fetuses and improving a person’s chance for a healthy pregnancy. More often, physicians will implant one fertilized egg, and if the patient becomes pregnant, they can choose to discard their other fertilized eggs or freeze them for possible future use. And usually, not all fertilized eggs are viable, leading physicians to discard some.
But many lawmakers and Catholic groups oppose IVF because they believe a fertilized egg is a human being or person. Discarding fertilized eggs is murder in the eyes of many anti-choice religious organizations, many of which are pushing to see their beliefs become law.
Lawmakers and anti-abortion advocates in Ohio, Virginia and Texas are already discussing legislation that could potentially ban IVF. Tennessee lawmakers can be heard discussing their plans to roll back access to IVF and contraception in recently leaked audio between the anti-choice politicians and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
“This is the part of the abortion debate that most Americans were unaware of until Roe v. Wade fell,” Duckworth said.
“This is the part of the abortion debate that most Americans were not aware of until Roe v. Wade fell.”
– Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
The legislation is personal for Duckworth, who conceived her two daughters using IVF. When Duckworth struggled with fertility, she went to her doctor to seek answers. The physician told her she was simply too old and would never get pregnant. Thankfully, she got a second opinion and discovered she was a prime candidate for IVF. Duckworth later realized that the first doctor didn’t tell her IVF was an option because the doctor worked at a Catholic hospital, which opposed any assisted fertility treatment.
“In my case, I had five fertilized eggs, and we discarded three because they were not viable. That is now potentially manslaughter in some of these states,” she said.
“I also have a fertilized egg that’s frozen,” Duckworth added. “My husband and I haven’t decided what we will do with it, but the head of the Texas Right to Life organization that wrote the bounty law for Texas has come out and specifically said he’s going after IVF next, and he wants control of the embryos.”
Duckworth and Murray worked together last year to pass the Veteran Families Health Services Act — similar legislation that repealed Veterans Affairs’ ban on IVF and further protected access to assisted reproductive technologies for veterans. Duckworth told HuffPost she believes the Right To Build Families Act has a better chance at passing the Senate because many Republicans are already on record voting in support of protecting fertility treatments for veterans.
Murray was more reticent about her Republican colleagues’ willingness to support the Right To Build Families Act, pointing to the fact that Democrats could not get any Republicans to co-sponsor the bill.
“I know that there are people out there who don’t want to be the public face of stopping IVF but certainly don’t mind when there’s some negotiation at the end of the day, taking it off the table,” Murray said.
“I’ve seen that with veterans, and I have no doubt that those people exist behind closed doors here today. We should not just assume that they’re not going to be active about this.”
[ad_2]
-
Canadian Fertility Consultants, Committed to Healthiest Outcomes Through SET Surrogacy Program
[ad_1]
Canadian Fertility Consultants marks the 1-year anniversary of its industry-leading SET (single embryo transfer) Surrogacy Program, and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the healthiest possible outcomes in surrogacy
Press Release
–
updated: Apr 24, 2017
Toronto, Canada, April 24, 2017 (Newswire.com)
–
One year ago, Canadian Fertility Consultants changed its longstanding policy of allowing its clients to decide whether or not to transfer multiple embryos into their Surrogate Mother, increasing the chances of a high-risk, multiple pregnancy.Canadian Fertility Consultants made the decision to lead the charge within the fertility industry and institute the SET (single embryo transfer) policy for all clients using eggs from a woman under 35 years of age.
CEO Leia Swanberg knew that they may initially lose clients because of this major change in policy; however, the company has remained committed to ensuring the healthiest possible outcomes for her surrogates.
This policy change was part of a movement CFC is developing to ensure the protection of its Surrogates and Children born through Surrogacy.
According to the CDC, SET helps women avoid several risks to their own health that are associated with carrying multiples. It also helps families achieve success while preventing some risks known to be associated with giving birth to twins, or what is called “high order multiple births” (three or more children born at the same time). Infants born in multiple births are more often born early, are smaller (low birth weight) and experience more adverse health outcomes than singleton infants. There is consensus among experts that the desired outcome of ART is a healthy singleton infant.
The Government of Canada has long recommended using the SET protocol to increase the chances of a healthy full-term pregnancy; however, the industry has been slow to adopt these recommendations. Canadian Fertility Consultants was the first major Canadian company to make the SET protocol mandatory, and has always been committed to setting the gold standard in surrogacy practices in Canada.
“We would never advise a pregnant woman to skydive, so why would we put her at risk, along with the babies she’s carrying? The risks of multiple pregnancies are clear, and we are ensuring that this risk is eliminated through our new SET only program”, said Leia Swanberg, CEO of Canadian Fertility Consultants.
CEO Leia Swanberg knew that they may initially lose clients because of this major change in policy; however, the company has remained committed to ensuring the healthiest possible outcomes for her surrogates. Over the last year, the company has seen amazing results, and its surrogates and intended parents have benefited from the SET protocol.
The intention is to protect all parties involved by committing to the safest outcomes possible. The company will stand behind its policy by offering a Discounted Second journey agency fee, and will encourage other industry professionals, such as lawyers and Fertility clinics, to do the same for those who are pursuing two journeys simultaneously.
CFC hopes that fertility clinics and other industry professionals will adopt SET policies of their own, mandating the protection of the women carrying, as well as the families being created.
The Surrogates in the company’s program are such amazing women, and deserve to be honored and respected, and this is one way that can be done. The company is always committed to providing its Surrogates with the best medical care, and their safety is always the prime concern.
About Canadian Fertility Consultants
Canadian Fertility Consulting is a full-service consulting firm dedicated to helping couples and individuals who have had difficulty or are unable to conceive, by providing guidance and support while exploring alternate methods to building a family. We have been helping couples build families since 2007, and take a holistic approach to everything we do. We will put the right team in place to support you through your journey of building a loving family.
CFC has helped thousands of Intended Parents achieve their dreams of building a family through surrogacy and egg donation. As a leading global agency, we pride ourselves in introducing Surrogate Mothers to couples or individuals who need help fulfilling their dreams of parenthood. Our commitment, skills and compassion are unparalleled by other agencies in the fertility industry. We look forward to hearing from you about how we can help your family.
About Leia Swanberg
Leia’s passion for alternative family building began at age sixteen, when she was a birth mother to a daughter placed in an open adoption. Since then, she has had four children of her own – ages 19, 11, 3, and a new baby. She has been a gestational surrogate twice and an egg donor several times. Leia’s approach to surrogacy is simple – taking a holistic approach to ensure that all parties are supported, encouraged and protected.
She has made great industry connections and working partnerships with professionals worldwide to ensure that she can help to develop the fertility plan that best suits your needs. Having founded Canadian Fertility Consulting in 2007, she has had the opportunity to help hundreds of couples become parents. Leia’s previous experience as a small business owner and background in management and small business development has helped her grow CFC into Canada’s foremost surrogacy consulting service.
Leia and CFC have been featured many times in Canadian media, including Canada AM and The National Post, helping to depict third-party reproduction as a tangible and approachable subject in the country.
Source: Canadian Fertility Consultants
[ad_2]