Why do young fertile women choose IVF ?

                                        

Why do young fertile women choose IVF ? IVF treatment was initially developed to give infertile couples an option to have children. However, many fertile women choose IVF nowadays, for social and personal reasons. A 28 year old business executive came to see me today. She had a very strange request. She said: "Doctor, I want you to do IVF for me! I am sure I am fertile, but the thing is that both my husband and myself are extremely busy. We travel a lot, and to find the time to make a baby is a huge challenge. I had a look at our calendars and compared it to the free online fertility calculator, and unfortunately we can only be together in November 2014 and February 2015, which is when I am fertile. We would like to start the treatment this month. Would this be possible? I am aware that natural human reproduction is not very efficient, and the chances of falling pregnant are about 25% per month. I would like to ask you to do an elective Double Embryo Transfer for me. With the transfer of 2 top grade blastocysts, my chances of falling pregnant are higher than 56%. I would love to have twins: that would mean an instant family!" I must admit, I was a little overwhelmed by the request. Not that we haven’t had any of these before, but this particular one was rather direct.  This lady was a very accomplished professional. She had clearly done quite a bit of research, and she knew exactly what she wanted. It would be fantastic if all my patients could be as well-informed as she is. And I think, if she could have performed the IVF herself, she certainly would have. Yes, IVF treatment was initially developed to give infertile couples an option to have children. However, the reasons for women to choose IVF nowadays, are much more socially motivated. We initially tend to look at these choices with some disapproval. I think however, that we should look at this with a bit more empathy. Remember how birth control changed the lives of so many women! It gave them control over their own biology. IVF and other assisted reproductive methods will do exactly that: give women more control over their reproductive options. Most women who choose IVF for ‘social reasons’, usually are quite independent. They lead their lives on their own terms and they make their own decisions. Making use of assistance to ‘speed up’ falling pregnant should not be seen as something negative. You may be thinking that all of this is artificial and unnatural.  Remember we felt the same when birth control was first introduced? The thinking in those days was that women did not want to have babies anymore. Critics felt, that giving women the freedom to choose when to have babies, was dangerous. We have to admit that those antiquated attitudes are rather comical, especially now that birth control is so common. And just like birth control gives women the option to postpone having children, the same technology can give women the option to expedite the process. We can actually look at IVF as positive birth control. We have all these technologies at our disposal to enable women to have more control over their lives. To allow them to fulfill their own reproductive wishes. For most people, time is money. And many of these people are prepared to spend money so that they can save time. This is also true for using IVF to speed up the process of falling pregnant. We see nothing wrong with women wanting to avoid natural methods that often mean waste of valuable time. This same lady told me: “It is perfectly normal to take pills to prevent or postpone pregnancy, so why is it so strange to want to use IVF to accelerate pregnancy?  I have a right to choose! It is my body, and it is my money. I don’t want anybody to stop me from exercising my rights. You would do IVF for me at 35 without any issues, wouldn’t you? Then why would this not be possible when I am younger? I am 28 now, and full of life and energy. And now is the perfect time for me to have a child. And it is not that I don’t enjoy sex. It’s just that I don’t want to be forced to have sex at a set time just so that I can have a baby. There are much more efficient options available and I want to make use of these options.” I don’t think there is any problem with women wanting to choose this option. They just need to have a proper understanding of what is involved in procedures like these. Of course I remind couples that making a baby in the bedroom is much more fun. But should they choose to make use of my services, then I do not think it is right to deny them that option. In fact, I am of the opinion that it would be unethical to refuse her this treatment. The only thing I insist on, is that it is a well-researched choice. In our medical professions, we are taught to respect and honour patient autonomy. What is important, is that the treatment is beneficial and does not cause any harm. Her last words, before she left my consultation room, were: “Biology, thanks to modern technology, is no longer destiny. I want to have my cake and eat it too, please! I would appreciate it if you could honour and respect my wishes.” If you were her doctor, what would you have done? Posted by Dr.Malpani Related articles Dr Malpani -What are my chances of getting pregnant with IVF(drmalpani.wordpress.com) Dr Malpani - Top 10 myths about infertility(drmalpani.wordpress.com Dr. Aniruddha Malpani (drmalpani.blog.com) Dr. Aniruddha Malpani (drmalpani.wordpress.com) Dr Malpani - Chocolate cysts -how we manage them at Malpani Infertility Clinic (drmalpani.blog.com) Dr Malpani - Chocolate cysts -how we manage them at Malpani Infertility Clinic (drmalpani.wordpress.com) How your doctor can reduce your fertility -a guide from Dr Malpani(drmalpani.blog.com) Dr.Malpani-Dealing with patient complaints (drmalpaninotincomplaint.blogspot.in)