DANGER, “IN VITRO” FERTILIZED CHILDREN MAY BE BORN WITH MALFORMATIONS

Letters

Contributor / 2012-08-15 15:25:04

According to a recent study, infants conceived with the techniques used in fertility clinics are four times more likely to have certain birth defects and malformations than children that are naturally conceived.

Among the malformations that were detected are heart problems, cleft lips, cleft palates and abnormalities in the esophagus or rectum. These diseases appear once in every 700 births.

These dangers were increased by the use of assisted reproductive techniques such as fertilization "in vitro", which requires doctors to work with embryos and sperm outside the human body.

"I think it is important to consider the fact that there is a risk of birth defects," says Jennita Reefhuis, epidemiologist from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Disease and author of a study published in the online journal "Human Reproduction". The doctor also said that although her study linked fertility procedures to birth defects, it was not able to neither prove the connection nor explain it. If the connection is real, it is unclear whether the procedures increase the risk of these malformations, or whether infertility itself increases these risks.

Moreover, Dr. James A. Grifo, director of the fertility clinic at the Medical Center of the University of New York, explains that more research is needed to test these findings, since the study was only conducted on 281 women who had undergone the fertility treatment. Nevertheless, Dr. Grifo explains that the results are troubling, but a larger study must be conducted with a small group of patients.

Furthermore, Dr. Alan R. Fleishman, vice president of the March of Dimes, believes that the study is important since it confirms the direction of their main concern: an increase in structural birth defects in children born with assisted reproductive technologies. Women who choose to undergo this fertility treatment should be informed of the risks of malformations in their children.

Fertilization "in vitro" could be defined as the taking of the male and female reproductive cells and unite them outside of the human body to then transfer the fertilized embryo into the uterus of the woman in order for it to be implanted and begin the pregnancy.

Besides the risks of malformations in children as mentioned above, fertilization "in vitro" goes against nature. One person said that God forgives always and men sometimes, but nature never does.

(Translated by Gianna A. Sanchez Moretti).

Author and journalist Clemente Ferrer has led a distinguished career in Spain in the fields of publicity and press relations. He is currently President of the European Institute of Marketing.
clementeferrer3@gmail.com