Desperate clients; desperate doctors

From their remarks in the media, you might
think that IVF doctors are outraged at a colleague who implanted 6
embryos in OctoMom Nadya Suleman. Perhaps so, but chances are very good
that they are doing the same thing. Figures from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention show that fewer than 20% of US clinics
follow professional guidelines about how many embryos should be
implanted. "Clearly, most programs are not adhering to the guidelines,"
said Dr. Bradley Van Voorhis, director of the fertility clinic at the
University of Iowa.

For women under 35, just 83 of 426 clinics
followed the guidance calling for 1 and no more than 2 embryos.
However, the average for fresh embryos (as opposed to frozen) implanted
in women in that age group ranged from a 1.4 to 4.8. The vast majority
of the clinics averaged between 2 and 3 embryos."There are enough clinics that quite openly
flout professional guidelines that we really do need to start thinking
about public policy in this area," said Marcy Darnovsky of the Center
for Genetics and Society, a public interest group. "I think it’s way
overdue."

Why don’t doctors implant 1 or 2 embryos,
as happens in Europe? "You have patients who are desperate and you have
doctors who are driven by success rates. It’s not a good combination,"
said Pamela Madsen, founder and former head of the American Fertility
Association. ~ AP, Feb 20

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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