Reproductive Technologies
Reproductive Technologies
Introduction
Twenty years ago, the only reproductive technologies available to infertile couples were artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization. Since that time, there has been an increase of reproductive technologies, and a multitude of options are now available to those couples who are infertile. Infertility affects ten percent of men and women. One in six Canadian couples is infertile. To overcome infertility many couples have chosen the path of reproducing artificially using reproductive technologies. Reproductive technologies are a term referring to methods used to achieve pregnancy by artificial or partially artificial means. They help improve a couple’s chance of conceiving and carrying a child to term. The Canadian government had recognized the importance of reproductive technology and created the Bill C-13 which was introduced into the House of Commons on October 9th, 2002. This act is respecting assisted reproduction and related research.
Attempts at the first non-human embryo transfer date back to the 1980’s. Improvements and discoveries over the following decades lead to the first successful IVF births in 1959 in rabbits by a Chinese scientist. The first human in vitro pregnancy was achieved in Australia in 1973, but it resulted in an early miscarriage. Louise Brown was the first baby conceived through in vitro fertilization. She was born on July 25, 1978, in Oldham, England. Dr. Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe had been researching fertility methods since 1968 that included artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization. In vitro fertilization is the most common type reproductive technology. This process involves s man’s sperm and the women’s eggs being collected and combined in a laboratory dish. The embryo is then transferred to the women’s uterus. One cycle of IVF costs on average $12, 400. It has a success rate of approximately twenty eight to thirty five percent. Artificial insemination or intrauterine
Introduction
Twenty years ago, the only reproductive technologies available to infertile couples were artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization. Since that time, there has been an increase of reproductive technologies, and a multitude of options are now available to those couples who are infertile. Infertility affects ten percent of men and women. One in six Canadian couples is infertile. To overcome infertility many couples have chosen the path of reproducing artificially using reproductive technologies. Reproductive technologies are a term referring to methods used to achieve pregnancy by artificial or partially artificial means. They help improve a couple’s chance of conceiving and carrying a child to term. The Canadian government had recognized the importance of reproductive technology and created the Bill C-13 which was introduced into the House of Commons on October 9th, 2002. This act is respecting assisted reproduction and related research.
Attempts at the first non-human embryo transfer date back to the 1980’s. Improvements and discoveries over the following decades lead to the first successful IVF births in 1959 in rabbits by a Chinese scientist. The first human in vitro pregnancy was achieved in Australia in 1973, but it resulted in an early miscarriage. Louise Brown was the first baby conceived through in vitro fertilization. She was born on July 25, 1978, in Oldham, England. Dr. Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe had been researching fertility methods since 1968 that included artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization. In vitro fertilization is the most common type reproductive technology. This process involves s man’s sperm and the women’s eggs being collected and combined in a laboratory dish. The embryo is then transferred to the women’s uterus. One cycle of IVF costs on average $12, 400. It has a success rate of approximately twenty eight to thirty five percent. Artificial insemination or intrauterine
Bibliography: (No author) At Issue: Human Reproductive Technology. (n.d.). SIRS Issues Researcher. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=S200008707-0- 6416&artno=0000307357&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=At%20Issue%3A%20H uman%20Reproductive%20Technology&res=Y&ren=N&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=N (No author) Louise Brown. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 07:50, Oct 28, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/louise-brown-9542072 (No author) In Vitro Made Easier. (n.d.). SIRS Issues Researcher. Retrieved October 15, 2012, from http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=S200008707-0- 2846&artno=0000128938&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=%20In%20vitro%20maturation &title=In%20Vitro%20Made%20Easier&res=Y&ren=N&gov=N&lnk=N&ic=N (No author)Sex Is for Fun, IVF Is for Children. (n.d.). SIRS Issues Researcher. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=S200008707-0- 6416&artno=0000268108&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=In%20vitro%20fertilisation%20 &title=Sex%20Is%20for%20Fun%2C%20IVF%20Is%20for%20Children&res=Y&ren= N&gov=N&lnk=N&ic=N (No author) Prenatal outcome of pregnancies after a... [Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1999] - PubMed - NCBI. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved December 13, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10486485 West, Z. (2008). Step 9: Assisted Reproduction. Plan to get pregnant: 10 steps to maximum fertility (pp. 144-159). New York, N.Y.: Dorling Kindersley