The disadvantages of IVF
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a kind of assisted reproductive technology, which combines sperm and eggs in the laboratory, cultivates them into embryos, and then implants them into the female uterus to achieve fertility. Although IVF provides a hope for couples who cannot conceive naturally, there are also some drawbacks that deserve attention.
Physical and psychological risks
First, IVF treatment may pose risks to physical and mental health. When women use hormone drugs to increase the number of eggs, they may have abdominal distension, nausea, headache and other side effects. The risk of infection, bleeding or injury is also associated with the process of egg extraction and embryo implantation. In addition, long-term infertility or IVF failure may bring psychological burden and emotional pressure to couples, even lead to anxiety and depression.
Secondly, the success rate of IVF is relatively low. Despite the continuous improvement of technology and the increasing experience of doctors, the possibility of a successful treatment is still limited. According to the statistics of a real hospital, the success rate of IVF is about 40%, which means that most patients need multiple courses of treatment to successfully conceive, and it also increases the economic and time burden.
In addition, IVF may lead to the risk of multiple pregnancies. In order to improve the success rate, doctors often implant multiple embryos into the uterus to increase the chance of pregnancy. However, multiple pregnancies are associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and other complications. This brings certain risks to the health of both the embryo and the mother.
Moral and social issues
IVF has caused a series of moral and social problems. First of all, the popularization of IVF technology will lead to an increase in son preference. In some cultural traditions, the son is regarded as the continuation of the family line, while the daughter is regarded as crossing the river and destroying the bridge. The emergence of IVF gives parents the opportunity to choose the sex of the embryo, which may encourage them to prefer boys.
Secondly, IVF has also triggered a moral controversy over gene screening. With the development of technology, people can avoid the birth of some genetic diseases by screening the genes of embryos. However, this also triggered the concern of "designing babies", that is, when selecting embryos, more consideration will be given to factors such as appearance and intelligence, which may lead to greater inequality and discrimination in society.
In addition, IVF can also cause resource allocation problems. Because IVF needs a lot of medical resources, especially the waiting places in public hospitals are often long, which may lead to the problem of uneven social resources. Some families with lower social class can not enjoy IVF technology due to economic constraints, thus increasing social inequality.
Disclosure of reproductive privacy
Another disadvantage is the risk of disclosure of reproductive privacy. In some countries, the laws and regulations of IVF are not perfect, and the protection of personal information is difficult to be effectively guaranteed. In the process of IVF, the patient's personal information may be leaked to lawbreakers, which may lead to personal harassment or use and damage the rights and interests of the childbirth.
In addition, the reproductive privacy of IVF may also be used as a basis for discrimination or differential treatment. Knowing that an individual is born through IVF may lead to social prejudice and discrimination against him, such as unfair treatment in employment, education, etc.
Summary
To sum up, as an assisted reproductive technology, IVF has brought hope to couples who cannot conceive naturally, but it also has some drawbacks. From the aspects of physical and psychological risks, low success rate, moral and social problems and risks of disclosure of reproductive privacy, IVF has brought certain challenges to individuals and society. We need to further explore and manage these issues to ensure that the application of IVF technology can meet individual needs and social interests in a more balanced way.
