What effect does IVF have on the body?
IVF, also known as assisted reproductive technology (ART), is a way to help couples who cannot conceive naturally achieve fertility. Although IVF technology is a blessing for many couples, people still have some concerns about its impact on the body. This article will discuss the influence of IVF on the body from the physiological, psychological, genetic and social perspectives.
1、 Physiological effects
1. Hormone therapy: The first step of IVF is to stimulate the ovary to produce more eggs by using hormone drugs. These drugs can cause headache, nausea, edema, mood swings and other uncomfortable symptoms.
2. Egg retrieval operation: egg retrieval operation is to remove the hormone stimulated eggs, which is a key step of IVF. This operation may cause the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which is characterized by abdominal distension, abdominal pain, vomiting and other symptoms.
3. Embryo production: In a test tube, the eggs combined with sperm in the laboratory may need to be artificially fertilized or microinjected. This process may lead to failure of fertilization of some eggs or abnormal embryonic development, thus reducing the probability of successful pregnancy.
2、 Psychological influence
1. Stress and anxiety: stress and anxiety during IVF treatment may have a negative impact on couples' mental health. Long term treatment process, uncertain results, economic burden, etc. may lead to increased psychological pressure.
2. Emotional fluctuation: Hormone drugs used in IVF treatment and their side effects may cause emotional fluctuation and emotional instability. The effects of these drugs may make couples feel up and down, increasing their psychological burden.
3. Worry and sense of failure: every failure of IVF cycle will bring great sense of loss and depression to couples. Continued failure may lead couples to doubt their fertility and worry about the future.
3、 Genetic influence
1. Transmission of genetic diseases: IVF technology cannot eliminate the risk of genetic diseases carried by one or both couples. If both couples have genetic diseases, their children may inherit the risk of these diseases.
2. Multiple pregnancy: In order to improve the success rate, multiple embryos may be implanted at one time. This may increase the risk of multiple pregnancy, which has a higher health risk to both pregnant women and fetuses.
3. Gene mutation: In the test tube process, the embryo may be interfered by some factors to cause gene mutation. These mutations may have a potential impact on the development and health of embryos.
4、 Social impact
1. Economic burden: The cost of IVF technology is high, including hormone drugs, laboratory operations and surgery costs. This may be a heavy financial burden for couples with limited economic conditions.
2. Ethical and moral issues: The development of IVF technology has triggered a series of ethical and moral issues, such as children's rights and interests, the disposal of embryos, and the selection of gender embryos. These problems have aroused widespread concern and controversy in the society.
3. Family relationship: IVF technology may affect the family relationship of couples. Long term treatment process and emotional fluctuation may lead to tension and disharmony between couples.
To sum up, while IVF technology brings hope to couples who cannot conceive naturally, it also has some physical effects. From the physiological, psychological, genetic and social perspectives, IVF technology may have a certain impact on the health and family of couples. Therefore, when choosing IVF technology, couples need to fully understand and consider these effects, and make wise decisions with the advice of doctors.
