Hard truths about IVF

Our society loves a good IVF story.  One with a teary-eyed couple bouncing a much-loved cherub-checked baby on their lap.  You can just hear the collective "ahhhhh."  The ugly truth about IVF is the large scale manufacturing and discarding of human life that went into that one success.  A recent report from the UK states that for every 1 IVF success, more than 30 embryos are created.  From the UK Daily Mail:

More than 30 human embryos are created for every successful birth by IVF,official figures have revealed.

Hundreds of thousands have been simply thrown away or destroyed in the name of  scientific research over the past 20 years.

The figures show that British scientists have created more than three million human embryos by IVF since 1991. But fewer than 100,000 have been successfully implanted into women to result in live births in that period.

Nearly a million and a half were discarded in the course of treatment and more than 100,000 were given for research in destructive experiments.
Lord Alton of Liverpool, a veteran pro-life campaigner, said he found the Department of Health figures ‘staggering’.

He said: ‘We are creating and destroying human embryos on an industrial scale.’

I have long said that IVF was human manufacturing and it seems Lord Alton agrees.  I am all for the teary-eyed couple getting the cherub-cheeked baby that they so desperately want, but 30 other lives should not have to be created and discarded or destroyed in the process.

There is an effective alternative to IVF that actually treats infertility instead of just manufacturing embryos.  NaPro Technology (Natural Procreative Technology) is the ethical way to treat infertility.  Developed by Thomas W. Hilgers, MD, NaPro Technology focuses on a woman's reproductive health and "provides medical and surgical treatments that cooperate completely with the reproductive system."  Thirty years of studying hormonal changes in a woman's cycle and the underlying causes of infertility has culminated in an alternative way to treat infertility that does not replace sexual intercourse or create life outside the body.  NaPro Technology has great results as well.  NaProTechnology has been shown to be 3 times more effective than IVF.  Couples that failed with IVF succeeded with NaPro Technology.  It is cheaper than IVF, does not require egg retrieval or donation, and since it treats the underlying cause of infertility, it allows for couples to get pregnant again and again.  NaPro Technology has also been proven effective in preventing miscarriage and premature births.  To find a NaPro Technology provider near you visit The Fertility Care Centers of America