IVF stands for in-vitro fertilisation and is usually used to treat a variety of infertility problems, but can also screen embryos for genetic disorders (PGD) in normally fertile couples. It was originally developed to treat infertility caused by blocked or damaged fallopian tubes. IVF was the first assisted reproductive technology and therefore has the most experience behind it (over 20 years).
PGD stands for pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and the testing can increase both the chance of a genetically normal pregnancy and the chance of having a healthy baby. PGD is a procedure where embryos created through IVF are screened prior to implantation to help identify genetic defects to prevent certain diseases or disorders from being …show more content…
It also increases both the chance of a genetically normal pregnancy and the chance of having a healthy baby. The embryo is transferred directly into the uterus, meaning that the woman doesn’t need to have functioning fallopian tubes. Biological negatives include the fact that the whole process of PGD causes a lot of stress to the womans body, as well as causing a lot of stress for her partner. IVF is a very invasive process and the woman will have to undergo daily self-injections. They are also unaware of the long-term affects that it may have on the baby. Social positives include the fact that it allows the couple to have a healthy baby. This also allows women to have careers without worrying about having a disabled baby. A lot of money will also be saved in the long-run if the baby is healthy because they will not have to worry about the cost of treatment and care for their disability. Some social negatives include the fact that only the first two times are funded by the government in New Zealand. Each course after that costs $15,000 each time. Because of this, there may be an unfair disparity between rich and poor people as the richer ones will be able to afford it. If the couple is unable to afford the treatment, then they may have to take out a loan which will cost them in the future …show more content…
I believe that it can only lead to a healthier society in the long term because it will help families with history of certain genetic diseases produce healthy offspring. It means that less people will have to suffer in the future. Despite the stress it causes for the parents during the process of IVF, that is only a short term affect but in the long term it will be very beneficial for their families and society, especially because it will save them money on healhcare and allow them to have more time to themselves and work to earn more money, leading to a much less stressful life. I think that a suitable course of action would be for the government to either fund more courses of IVF treatment for the eligible families, or to lower the cost of the treatment overall. By doing this the treatment will become more attractive to people and more people will consider going through the process if they are carriers of genetic disorders and want a healthy