In Vitro Fertilization

QUESTION: What should I consider before agreeing to in vitro fertilization?

ANSWER:

The process of in vitro fertilization is often considered by couples going through infertility. It is a big decision and many things need to be considered before moving forward.

What is in vitro fertilization? Basically, in vitro fertilization is the process by which eggs are harvested from the woman and mixed in a dish with the sperm of the male. Then the fertilized egg is placed inside the woman's body.

Are there ethical concerns in this process?

Many people consider the fertilized egg to be a living human being. The moral implications begin with the harvesting of eggs. Many couples decide to harvest more eggs than they can realistically parent. This means that following the procedure, some embryos are frozen for later use or destroyed. When these embryos are destroyed, many people consider this to be destruction of life.

It is reported that more than 400,000 frozen embryos are stored in clinics across the United States. Many of those embryos belong to people who do not want to destroy this life. There are basically three options for these "left-over" embryos:

• Allow the destruction of the embryos
• Keep the embryos in storage indefinitely
• Donate the embryos to other infertile couples.¹

What are some guidelines to consider when talking to your doctor about in vitro fertilization? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Is it necessary to produce and freeze more embryos than necessary for my implantation?

Am I willing to eventually parent the number of embryos that will be formed? For example, if you are willing to parent 5 children, then only allow 5 embryos to be formed.

Is my spouse in complete agreement with the ethical and moral factors of in vitro fertilization?