Misconceptions About In Vitro

I haven't wrote about our in vitro stuff for quite awhile, so I thought I better add another posting. I really have so much more to say about it, even though I already have several long postings. Before I really knew what in vitro was, I might have had the same ideas I am about to talk about, although I'm not sure I ever really thought about it. I encourage open minds out there...

I think most people have probably heard of the octo-mom...a woman somewhere out west who already had 6 children and convinced a fertility specialist to implant 8 more. Unfortunately those kind of people get the publicity about fertility clinics. The University of Iowa is not like that at all. They would NEVER implant 8 embryos at once, no matter the situation. The first time we went through in vitro, the doctors told us they would only implant one embryo because I was so young and that is the safest option for mother and baby. There are always risks with multiples. We would have the option to cryo-preserve others if necessary. As you may have read we only had one embryo that lived until transplant day. We didn't have to worry about freezing.

I guess I should explain, I believe a CHILD is created the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg. I only refer to the children as embryos to designate what stage they are in. I hope that doesn't confuse anyone. Even though my child was created outside of my body, she was still a child from day 0, as they called it!

To continue, the second time around the doctors told us they would implant two, if we had two, because of our failed cycle the first time. Again, we only had one that lived to transplant day. We never "threw away" any children or chose a specific one over another one. We only had one. Had we been given more than one child, we would have implanted both the second time. If by some miracle there were more, we would have frozen them to use later. I know a couple that created their two children at the same time through in vitro, but one was frozen and used two years later. To go off on a tangent, that same couple was over 40 when trying to conceive and the most the U of I would implant at one time in them was 4. So no octo-moms around here!

I guess I really wanted to write about this because I don't want people out there to think fertility clinics are a bad place that throw away children. Maybe that does happen at the U of I, but I didn't see it. Obviously there are people out there who do it, but I am certainly not one of them. In the beginning of our quest for in vitro I was a little leary about combining science with God. But, I came to the realization that God created the science and technology that is in vitro. He would not have created it if He didn't was people to use it. Just like anything else, though, it can be abused. I also thanked God many times for putting us so close to one of the best in vitro places around! I can't imagine what it would have been like if we lived 4 hours away from Iowa City or more. As much as we had to go there, we would have had to move or something to make it work if we weren't so close.

Another thing out there is the possibility of creating embryos to use as treatment for diseases like Parkinsons. Awhile ago I read Michael J. Fox's book, Always Looking Up. While it had some vulgar language and topics I wasn't too interested in, it was a very interesting story about the disease that has crippled Michael J. Fox. He is obviously a huge promoter of the use of stem cells to help people like himself. I think I read his book after I was already pregnant, so I really understood a lot of what he was talking about having just been through in vitro. I am definitely not in favor of creating embryos just to kill the child, in a sense, and use the cells to help a diseased adult. However, I am not opposed to scientific research to help cure diseases.

I guess this posting has kind of turned into a science and God topic that could get a lot deeper. I'm not sure I have enough knowledge to discuss it in depth, but I do have more knowledge than I would have without my in vitro experience. I guess to sum up my thoughts, I hope people out there have an open mind about in vitro. I have heard comments and know of couples who don't want to use it because it is not God's natural way of creating a child. True, maybe it isn't how it happened in the beginning of time, but the Internet didn't exist then, either. God has allowed for and helped our world advance beyond our ancestors wildest imaginations. I believe He planned for me to go through in vitro in order to have a child way back in 1980 when he first created me, just like he planned for me to marry Justin at that same time. And I don't know if in vitro really existed much back then. Isn't it amazing what God knows!!! He has a plan for all of us! How can we do anything but humble ourselves and do everything to live our lives for His purpose!!