|
|
|
ATLANTA, GEORGIA & PERTH, AUSTRALIA. It is estimated that infertility now affects about 10 per cent of
the reproductive age population in the United States. In medical terms a couple is considered infertile if the
woman fails to conceive after a year of trying to do so. The growing incidence of infertility has led to the
development of various assisted reproduction schemes; the most widely used being in vitro fertilization and
intracytoplasmic sperm injection. It has long been known that the use of assisted reproduction technology
vastly increases the chance of having twins or even triplets. This, in turn, leads to an increase in the number
of low birth weight children. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health now report that the incidence of low birth weight in single children conceived with assisted reproduction is 6.5 per cent as compared to 2.5 per cent among children conceived naturally. Artificially conceived children are also more likely to be born with major birth defects. Australian researchers found that 9 per cent of children conceived with assisted reproductive technology had a major birth defect diagnosed by one year of age as compared to a rate of 4.2 per cent among naturally conceived infants.
Dr. Allen Mitchell, MD of Boston University warns that the number of clinics providing assisted reproductive
services is growing rapidly and that they are aggressively promoting their services. He recommends that
prospective parents "keep trying a little longer" rather than rush into an artificial conception, which may
produce a low birth weight infant or one with a birth defect.
|
|
|
|
