Abstract
The purpose of this essay is to deal with issues related to infertility and summarize the relevant research. The objective of reproductive technologies is to allow couples to conceive a child "naturally". Infertility is often seen as a life crisis and induces a big impact on self-esteem. Is it right to spend so much time and money on developing technologies to treat infertility rather than focus on preventing the cause of infertility? Billions of euros and dollars are spent on infertility and the efforts are largely ineffective.
It takes about six months for a man and a woman to conceive after having frequent intercourse. Most couples can achieve a pregnancy naturally within a period of one year. About 10% and 15% of couples face difficulties conceiving after trying for one year, and they are not able to conceive, they are diagnosed as infertile. While there are a number of reasons behind infertility, no cause is found behind the infertility in some couples. The cause of infertility is about as often in both men and women.
I do not think treating infertility is the right approach. Although in the past two decades, great progress has been made in reproductive medicine. There is an explosion of new technologies in the 21st century to treat infertility. Thousands of couples find hope in the high-tech reproductive technologies and follow advanced treatments for infertility such as Fertility drugs. Keyhole surgery for fallopian tubes checking for any fibroids or ovarian cysts to raise the chances of fertility, Intrauterine insemination (IUI), In vitro fertilisation (IVF), where the fertilized embryos is transplanted back into the uterus and Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where a single sperm gets injected into a single egg.However, I shall still argue that the whole procedure is not worth all the trouble. The cost of the treatment procedure for infertility can start at a few hundred dollars and end with thousands. Ultrasound monitoring for timing, simple insemination, drugs to trigger ovulation can take an emotional toil on the couple. Fertility is not a woman's problem solely, and even the man can be responsible for fertility. The reason behind fertility in a woman can be due to blocked Fallopian tubes, damaged uterus, Uterine fibroids, etc, while in man , the reason are low sperm count, shape and movement of the sperm or any damage to the reproductive system(Saridi, & Georgiadi, 2010).
I believe, however that the social and economic disadvantages of infertility are acuter in the developing countries according to the evidence available. The issue of infertility may lead to economic instability and social deprivations. There is a negative attitude towards infertile people, especially the woman. An infertile woman may receive lesser importance in the society. Reproductive health is a state of complete physical, and social well-being and have the capacity to reproduce. Some cultural traditions create economic difficulties for infertile couples or women. Infertility also creates negative work attitudes among men, and they lose their motivation to work harder (Dyer & Patel, 2012).
A couple’s likelihood of going in for medical intervention for infertility and the treatment option will depend a lot on their education, awareness and economic status. The less-educated couples or from different ethnic origins or religions may be less willing to pursue medical assistance (Farley, 2007). I think, without showing any contempt for the medical procedures and all human motivations to have a child, apart from the technical side, the health care professional also need to focus on the psychological and ethical issues surrounding infertility. Earlier, it was believed that psychological distress was one of the major causes behind infertility. Instead, it was found that psychological distress was a result of infertility. This is the reason mental health professionals are getting increasingly involved in offering care to the infertile patients.
I personally feel that it can be an emotionally devastating experience if the couple learns that they can’t have child. Moreover, seeking infertility treatment can be psychologically exhaustive and financially draining (Pennings, 2008). Recent reports have indicated that overpopulation is already a major problem of developing countries. Offering infertility treatment to resource-poor countries can be a huge economic burden. The infertility treatments are associated with colossal expenditure, even for the very basic procedures. To go for such lengthy and expensive procedures, and not be 100% sure if they are going to be successful, I feel that they are not worth it.
It is true that not every couple will be able to conceive and have a child, even with infertility treatments. Moreover, I think it is apparent that not every couple will be able to finance those treatments. Even after an expenditure of hundreds and thousands of dollars, as I read in the report on Infertility; "cost-effectiveness of infertility treatments, 1997., they might still be without a child. Millions of dollars are spent from tax funding for 5 thousand dollars. While there are major regional differences in funding, there are the lack of resource or long waiting lists for many treatments. Many couples are not able to go for the treatment because of the long wait or the high costs involved.
I would argue that teating infertility in low-resource settings may be linked to a significant risk of impoverishing health expenditure. Couples cut down on expenditure on other and basic needs to pay for the infertility treatment. Lengthy treatments (Dyer & Patel, 2012) often become unaffordable and usher in a financial insecurity. The success rate for couples getting infertility treatment will again vary and ranges from 3 to 18 percent. The choice to pursue infertility treatment is highly dependent on the income and motivation to seek treatment.
As I was reading, although fertility treatments have made huge advancements in recent years, they are still very expensive and nowhere near perfect (Staniec & Webb, 2007). Infertility remains a widespread issue in the world. The last resort is IVF once the fertility medicines and other similar treatments have failed. Moreover, there are risks involved to women undergoing IVF procedures and complications can arise due to hemorrhage, hypertension and emotional factors. There might be high failure rates per attempt, excess” fetuses, etc. Moreover, there are always chances of having premature births, low birth weight babies or even long-term disabilities with these procedures. I am sure that most of the women on fertility drugs are unaware of the risks they carry. All these aspects lead to significant psychological burdens for the couple.
I read that the Principle of Humanity says that everyone has the right to live his or her life the way they wish. These natural rights are based on moral rights that exist whether or not they are recognized by the government. The same principles apply to the subject of infertility. Although in-vetro fertilization and surrogate birthing are based on advanced technologies, they still go against the natural laws I feel.
References
Infertility; "cost-effectiveness of infertility treatments: A cohort study.". (1997). AIDS Weekly
Plus, 33.Pennings, G. (2008). Ethical issues of infertility treatment in developing countries. Human
Reproduction, 2008(1), 15-20.
Maria Saridi, & Elpida Georgiadi. (2010). Causes of infertility. To Vima Tou Asklipiou, 9, 409-
419.
Dyer, S. J., & Patel, M. (2012). The economic impact of infertility on women in developing
countries ‑ a systematic review. Facts, Views & Vision in ObGyn, 4(2), 102.
Farley Ordovensky Staniec, J., & Webb, N. J. (2007). Utilization of infertility services: How
much does money matter? Health Services Research, 42(3 Pt 1), 971-989.
