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Fertility Treatment
Depending on what type of fertility treatment a
woman undergoes, a woman may have the potential to end up having the multiple births' side-effect. Witness the furor involving the
octo-mum
Nadya Suleman recently. In this present economic climate, one has
definitely think carefully about the risk of multiple births. In the
late 1990s the incidences of multiple births had risen by nearly
eight percent. This is especially a concern if the treatment plan a
couple has chosen includes in vitro fertilization. In this
procedure, a woman takes medication so that she will produce and
release extra eggs during her cycle. Normally a woman is only able
to produce one egg during each monthly cycle. Depending on the drugs
used, and the individual woman, the health care specialist can
induce the release of up to twenty eggs. This is not usually done,
but four to six eggs are not uncommon.
These eggs are then harvested and fertilized, so they can be put
into the womb ready to attach and grow into a baby. Due to the fact
that this procedure is an expensive more and a difficult one both
emotionally and physically for a woman, there is pressure to place
several fertilized eggs in case they do not attach. This will
increase the probability of implanting working and for a pregnancy
to be achieved because of this fertility treatment. Very often when
the treatment does work, more than one egg implants and the woman
finds she is having a multiple birth pregnancy.
There is one of two reactions to this news. Often the prospective
parents are concerned about caring for more than one baby at a time.
It can create emotional and financial strain as the couple tries to
figure out how they are going to double, or triple, everything in
their home to suit their babies. There are other negative outcomes
in multiple births. The babies are smaller and are more likely to be
at risk for disabilities. As well the woman will be at higher risk
for miscarriage with a multiple birth pregnancy. It is one risk of
fertility treatment that couples must be prepared to deal with.
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