The Ethics Committee recommends development of evidence-based policies that are patient-centered for each in vitro fertilization (IVF) center. In most cases, the provision of futile therapies is not ethically justifiable. For those treatments with very poor success rates, clinicians must be vigilant in their presentation of risks, benefits, and alternatives. This document was reviewed in January ...

The explosive growth in genetic technology quickly will make possible an unprecedented number of tests for genetically based conditions. A necessary condition for the use of such tests without risk of harm to the patient is their accuracy. However, most discussions of test accuracy in the literature have equivocated between two importantly different meanings of the word. In particular, it must ...

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a method of treatment for infertility in selected indications. Recent years have brought dynamic development of technologies related to IVF. This article presents problems pertaining to the safety of technology with respect to the patient, as well as the embryo, based on an analysis of scientific reports and our own experience. Invasiveness of the IVF procedure f...

Women who undergo sterilization may later regret this decision. This systematic review examines whether age at sterilization is associated with poststerilization regret. Using MEDLINE and EMBASE, we identified 19 articles that examined associations between women's age at sterilization and later regret, requests for sterilization reversal and undergoing sterilization reversal or requesting in vi...

Motherhood is no longer a simple concept. Black’s Law Dictionary defines “mother” as “a woman who has given birth to or legally adopted a child.” Recent advances in reproductive technologies have called into question this basic definition of motherhood. Through in vitro fertilization, it is possible to extract an egg from one woman and implant the fertilized egg into the uterus of another woman...

The effectiveness of subfertility treatments has recently been reviewed in Effective Health Care.' Many health authorities are coming under increasing pressure to purchase treatments for subfertile couples, though because treatments are perceived to be ineffective2 few districts currently purchase comprehensive services. The review in Effective Health Care found that many treatments that includ...

Our meta-analysis analyzed the relationship between levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and fertilization rate after in vitro fertilization (IVF), and showed a statistically significant correlation between the ROS levels and the IVF fertilization rate (estimated overall correlation -0.374 [95% CI, -0.520, -0.205]). We conclude that ROS has a statistically significant effect on the fertiliza...

Research indicates that women undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) experience intense unwanted emotions, and that these emotions may result in the decision to abandon treatment. This case-study explored stressors, emotional responses and emotion regulation strategies of a female couple undergoing IVF procedures over a ten-week period. A mixed-method approach involved participants completing ...

The dominant reaction to recent advances in cloning technology has been a strong desire to prohibit all human reproductive cloning. A frequently mentioned concern of those who would ban all such cloning is the high rate of waste of oocytes, embryos, and fetuses.1 While this concern is valid, these remarks will focus on potential uses of human reproductive cloning after research with animals and...

The article is concerned with the life experiences of infertile women going through infertility treatment and their need for social and psychological support, which they try to find in their immediate social environment. The Internet has become one place where everyone can find "people like oneself." The best support is received from these people who are in the same life situation and are able ...