IN VITRO FERTILISATION

1. IN VITRO FERTILISATION

2. WHAT IS IN VITRO FERTILISATION? In vitro fertilization is a popular infertility treatment, though due to its high monetary expense, it is generally only used when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed. IVF is a process by which egg cells are fertilized by sperm outside the body. The resulting embryo is then transferred to the woman's uterus (womb) to implant and develop naturally. Usually, 2-4 embryos are placed in the woman's uterus at one time. The number of embryos will depend on the woman's age and the chance of a successful pregnancy occurring. Each attempt is called a cycle.

3. WHAT DOES “INVITRO” MEAN? The term in vitro is derived from the Latin root meaning “in glass “. This term is used because early experiments involving the cultivation of tissues outside of the living organism from which it came, were carried out in glass lab equipment such as beakers and test tubes. In today's society, “in vitro” is used to refer to any biological procedure undertaken outside of its natural environment. It is not to be confused with “in vivo” , where the tissue remains inside its natural living organism. IN VITRO IN VIVO

4. HISTORY In vitro fertilization is a procedure that has come along in leaps and bounds in a relatively short amount of time, today being at the stage where it is considered by most as a safe and acceptable way for unfertile couples or individuals to conceive. THE LIST BELOW INCLUDES SOME KEY POINTS AND EVENTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF IVF • John rock, an American genealogist and obstetrician was the first person to extract a n intact fertilised egg. • In 1973, the first pregnancy achieved by means of IVF was reported by in a medical journal, The Lancet, by a university team from Monash. Although the pregnancy only lasted a few days and was therefore considered a biochemical pregnancy (meaning the pregnancy Stops developing before it can be detected be seen by ultrasound and the only proof of pregnancy is a rise in HCG levels ). • In 1978 the first baby to be conceived/born through the IVF process, Louise Brown was born The doctor who developed the treatment, Robert G Edwards, was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. After this breakthrough in ‘78 there were many successful IVF conceptions and births.

5. METHOD The diagram above shows a brief outline of the IVF process.

6. SUCCESS RATES Success rates of IVF differ from person to person due to variables such as age, medical conditions, diet, drug and alcohol consumption, time spent trying to get pregnant, number of embryos implanted etc. Although chance of success is a very individual thing, here is a guide line to chance of IVF success when related to age- • approximately 45% chance per cycle of treatment for women aged 35 and under • approximately 20% chance per cycle with women aged 35- 40 • less than 10% chance per cycle with women aged over 42 NOTE- this is only a guide. For more accurate idea of an individuals chance of pregnancy via IVF, visit www.fertilityassociates.co.nz and use the “biological clock” However if an individual was having fertility problems, it would be suggested that they seek proper medical advise.

7. AVALIBILITY AND COST The cost of an IVF cycle in New Zealand will vary from couple to couple depending on individual circumstances, but the expenses associated with a single round of IVF range in the thousands. Many couples or individuals can find this overwhelming and many clinics offer payment plans. Along with this, for couple who meet certain criteria funding may also be available to help dramatically cut costs.

8. RISKS AND COMPLICATIONS as with any medical procedure, it is possible that risks may occur while undergoing IVF treatments. These risks vary between each step of the procedure. Many patients will experience some form of side effect at some point in the IVF process but these will only be mild and don’t need to be treated. However, a small percentage of patients will suffer from complicationswhich will require hospitalization, eg- difficulty breathing, chest infection or allergic reactions to meds. These complications and side effects are fairly straight forward and very rarely in any way life threatening, however the main risk associated with in vitro fertilization is the chance of multiple births. This would be because more than one embryo has been implanted to increase the chance of pregnancy ( common practice) as it is likely that most of them will die, but in fact, more than one has survived. Although this may seem like a good thing for couples who have struggled to get pregnant, it can lead to many issues including pregnancy loss and prematurity. As for how children conceived by IVF turn out later in life, studies have shown that they lead overall normal lives and are generally no different to traditionally conceived children.

9. ISSUES AND ETHICS There are generally not too many issues associated with in vitro fertilisation, but in a few cases there have been problems with laboratory mix-ups resulting in misidentifies gametes or the transfer of wrong embryos , these instances have lead to legal action against the IVF provider. Although problems such as these are extremely uncommon, many providers are putting systems in place to reduce room for error. As far as ethics goes, IVF is quite controversial. By means of IVF same sex couples, single parents and unmarried couples can have a child, some believe that this is wrong and are completely against it. Although some do not agree with IVF allowing such people to be parents, studies conclude that children are not harmed or disadvantaged from having single sexed, single, or un married parents.

10. HOW DOES IN VITRO FERTILISATION RELATE TO GENES, CHROMOSONES AND DNA? Basically, the favorable out come of in vitro fertilisation is a healthy human baby. This human baby would of course have genes from both its mother and father, determining characteristic traits and abilities. It would have 46 chromosomes, 23 of which came from the mothers egg and the remaining 23 coming from the fathers sperm. These chromosomes will determine whether the baby is a boy or a girl. It would also certainly have DNA, this will hold all of the instructions for the baby, how it will grow, what it will look like etc.

11. BIBLIOGRAPHY • www.google.com/imghp • www.wikipedia.com • www.fertilityassociates.co.nz • www.thefreedictionary.com