Dr.EHF

Blog Details

IVF-Boon or Bane

An interesting article by Sheryl de Lacey, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Flinders University, Australia, was published on "IVF AS LOTTERY OR INVESTMENT".
This deals with feedback from women where In Vitro Fertilization, (IVF) was unsuccessful. It also includes information from print media and infertility help books, who also place women as either "winners" or "losers" in this gamble of Motherhood.
In everyday newspapers, it is often reported that new horizons have been crossed with the development of new techniques such as IVF, and IntraCytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) for the treatment of infertility. Although the process may or may not come under a social medical scheme or insurance, certain "Out of pocket expenses ", has to be borne by the patient, which has been widely criticized by the Feminists community.
On average, an infertility treatment success rate is barely 15.4 percent in Australia, while physicians claim to be almost 80 percent success rate. Hence looking into reality, IVF is also known as a "Lottery", rather than a form of science.
The media plays an important role in inventing stories of hope and achievement in IVF treatment, to be dished out to the public. The press glorifies women who have achieved Motherhood successfully, whereas, women who failed are kept low and eventually fade away. Hence a deep divide has developed between successful and unsuccessful women, in terms of achieving Motherhood. 

One particular newspaper highlighted the failures of IVF, by conducting in-depth interviews with 10 such women, and that amount of written material available in the print media.
IVF is being projected as a Lottery as Australian culture encourages competition and conveys that "Don't give up, it can happen to you". IVF treatment, though stressful, but infertile women encourage others not to give up, in their quest for Motherhood. Libraries are flooded with materials promoting "positive thinking", to bring success in life.
To achieve Motherhood, after infertility, is a similar feeling, because they say that with technology, anything is possible.
IVF technology is being promoted as a hope and solution, but despite all the hype, its position as a "Lottery" is still true.
However, the experience of success is highlighted as proof that if you want something in life, you can surely get it. We all know that in gambling, you need luck to be a winner and a winner is always appreciated.
In one of the newspapers, two women claimed that by using IVF, they got lucky the first time itself; while two others claimed luck on their eighth time.
In western society, a winner is always applauded in public, whereas a loser needs to "Bow out gracefully".
Women, who don't become mothers, or are unsuccessful, while trying their best, are projected differently in society as a losing Gambler. Even a practicing Doctor had once said that efforts to succeed by IVF is like an addiction and results in emotional disturbance, which in fact, encourages a multibillion dollar industry. Many unsuccessful couples realize that IVF is just a waste of money.
Hence, as is very clear, IVF technology is basically a game or a Lottery, where you may be lucky or unlucky and the result, if good, gives an opportunity to "win ", and infertile women as `` Unlucky''. Hence, these unsuccessful women realized that this Lottery called IVF is nothing, but a wasteful expenditure and stood up against this propaganda procedure.

Compiled from various international research journals available at google scholar by D. Mukherjee having 38 years of pharmaceutical (Cardiac, Diabetic, Neurology, Pain & Inflammation products) experience with a Swiss Multinational Company NOVARTIS and edited by Dr Sandeep Ahlawat, MBBS