The FIGO Committee on Reproductive Medicine (FIGO CRM) was established in October, 2009 under the Chairmanship of Dr. David Adamson, (USA). Other Committee members include Siladitya Bhattacharya, Co-chair (UK), John Collins (Canada), Klaus Diedrich (Germany), Silke Dyer (South Africa), Egbert te Velde (Netherlands), Christine Robinson (UK), PC Wong (Singapore) and Fernando Zegers-Hochschild (Chile). The mission of the FIGO CRM is to create access to quality reproductive medical care for women across the world.
Tag: ivf
Survey Says: Use Embryos for Research
A survey found almost half of South Australians believe embryos left over from fertility treatments should be used for research. Of the 2693 surveyed, 21 percent said the leftover embryos should be donated to would-be parents. Just 6 per cent believed they should be discarded.
Gender Selection – How and Why?
Gender selection is a fairly new option in the field of fertility treatment. Patients undergoing IVF can now choose whether to use a male or female embryo. Here are some frequently asked questions about this process.
What Technology is Used?
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is the only reliable method for selecting the gender of a child. Sperm sorting is sometimes used by couples in the hope of increasing the chances of conceiving a child of the desired sex. However, the effectiveness of this method is unproven lacking data from large, multicenter trials.
How Does PGD Work?
After an egg has been fertilized in an IVF dish, it is allowed to develop for 3 days. After this, a single cell is removed from the embryo. It is evaluated for Y chromosome (the male chromosome) markers. If these genetic markers are present, the embryo is male. If not, the embryo is female.
Is This Process Safe and Reliable?
The process of PGD does not prevent an embryo from developing normally. The results of the evaluation are available after about 2 days. This means the embryo is transferred to the mother’s womb on the 5th day instead of the 3rd day. This is still within the time frame for successful embryo transfer. This method of determining the sex of an embryo has been shown to be 99% accurate.
Why Might Patients Choose this Option?
Patients sometimes use gender selection if they already have children of one gender and wish to balance their family with a child of the opposite gender. Or, the family may have a history of genetic disorders that are passed down through the X chromosome. These recessive traits typically affect male children because they have only one X chromosome. Choosing to have a girl makes it unlikely that this disease will affect the child. Some patients simply prefer to have a child of a specific gender.
Are There Ethical Concerns about Gender Selection?
Some people feel that selection of non-essential characteristics like gender is not an appropriate use of medical technology. Others believe gender selection is an aspect of reproductive rights and parents should be allowed to make this decision. The use of this technology to prevent genetic disease or to provide family balancing is typically viewed as less controversial than other uses.
After IVF Some Couples Get Pregnant Without Help
Despite the label of being “infertile,” some couples who have tried fertility treatments are later able to have a baby naturally, according to a new study from France.
ASRM/SART Comment on NEJM Article on Increased Risk of Birth Defects Following IVF
Statement Attributable to Linda Giudice, MD, PhD, President-elect of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM): “This study confirms what has been known for quite some time: Patients who need medical assistance to conceive have a somewhat higher risk of having children with birth defects than parents able to conceive on their own. Patients considering medically assisted conception have been, and should continue to be, counseled on those risks prior to undergoing any treatment.”
IVF Related Birth Defects May Originate with Moms not Treatment
Babies conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) have a higher risk of birth defects than those conceived naturally, but the increased risk may stem from the parents rather than the treatment itself, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Should Catholic Schools Fire Teachers Over Infertility Treatments?
Emily Herx was a popular literature teacher at St. Vincent de Paul School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, until she used her medical leave for in vitro fertilization. Herx lost her job and says a church official called her a “grave, immoral sinner.” When she appealed to Fort Wayne Bishop Kevin Rhoades, he told her IVF was “an intrinsic evil, which means that no circumstances can justify it.” The federal government saw things a bit differently. Herx filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and won — paving the way for a civil lawsuit.
Gay Couple has Two Children from Different Racial Backgrounds in IVF Clinic Mixup
An IVF mix-up has left a gay couple with two unrelated children of entirely different racial backgrounds.
Beating Infertility: We Will Become Parents, No Matter What
We almost broke up trying to get pregnant, but now we’re willing to try anything to have a baby.
Birth Defects More Common in IVF Babies: Study
Babies conceived through certain fertility treatment techniques are about one-third more likely to have a birth defect than babies conceived without any extra help from technology, according to a new review of several dozen studies.