IVF

IVF: Fertility financing a concern in USA.

I was in a state of shock when I read an article by Jessica Silver-Greenberg in the Wall Street Journal. The article was about the rise of “fertility financing” for couples who are undergoing fertility treatments such as IVF. I had no idea there was such an industry in the United States. I am from […]

Pregnancy: Increase in twin births in USA.

During 2009, one in every 30 babies born in the United States was a twin. This is the result of a steady, yet strong growth, in the incidence of twins over the last three decades. Historically, the incidence of twins in the United States was at a rate of one in 53. Reasons for the

IVF: Breakthrough on the horizon

Academics from Oxford University are at the early stages of what may become a breakthrough in IVF technology. They have devised a technique which will allow an IVF specialist to gauge the health of an egg differently than the invasive techniques which are currently employed. The new technique involves analysis of a “cloud” of cells

IVF pregnancies: controversy over multiple births

There is controversy in China over multiple births as the result of IVF therapy. The response was initiated when news came to hand of a wealthy couple who had eight babies with the assistance of two surrogate mothers. Despite much of the outrage which is focused on the couples’ complete disregard for the “one child

IVF: increased incidence of multiple births

Recent statistics released in New Zealand have indicated a significant increase in the incidence of multiple births. The Office of National Statistics reported that in 2010 there were 15.7 multiple births per 1000 women. This is an increase of 6.8% compared to the same statistics from 2000. The increase in multiple births has been attributed

IVF: Medicare cut reduces the number of pregnancies

Fewer IVF babies are now being born in Australia. Research which was presented at the World Congress of Human Reproduction identified the main determinant of this decrease as being the change in IVF funding made by the Australian government. The Health Insurance Amendment (Extended Medicare Safety Net) which was introduced last year reduced the amount