It was a shock to learn that “Octo Mom” got pregnant with all those babies through IVF (in vitro fertilization) rather than just IUI (intrauterine insemination): what doctor would transfer all those embryos? Unfortunately, there are a few unethical doctors out there who make the industry look like a freak show.
An excellent article in today’s New York Times (”Birth of Octuplets Puts Focus on Fertility Clinics“) explains the issues very accurately: the ASRM’s recommended limit on the number of embryos transferred, versus the financial pressure to keep the number of transfers low (and therefore the number of embryos transferred high).
This story gets to the bottom of the conflict: the need for better insurance coverage for infertility treatment.
Related posts:
- Reaction to New York Times Article on Surrogacy
It is slanted toward cases that went wrong; I hope it doesn't make surrogacy appear unseemly to the public, or discourage parents from pursuing it....- Infertility Treatment in Poor Countries
Low-cost assisted reproductive technology in Africa is controversial; efforts to find low cost methods have created some ingenious methods....- More Myths about the Fertility Industry
Even so-called experts perpetuate the misconception that the fertility industry is unregulated, despite the key roles played by the FDA and ASRM....
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