RTE No 20 Interior - Road to Emmaus Journal

Road to Emmaus Vol. XIII, No. 2 (#49)Natural Conception, Natural BirthRtE: Not to mention that in IVF the lab techs are making the choice as towhich eggs and sperm to incubate rather than letting God’s providence andthe body do so.Melanie: Yes, in IVF they harvest what they think are the most mobile,regular-looking sperm, but we know so little about the intricacies of conceptionthat it might actually be the sperm with the irregular head shape whoare naturally fertilizing the eggs. We don’t know anything for sure. Mobilityand regularity as a guide to health is just a best guess.Also, in regard to ovulation, at any given time in a woman’s fertile periodthere are several possible follicles with eggs. We don’t know how or why thebody chooses that one mature egg to ripen into a follicle and then burst andovulate. It’s a complicated process that we simply don’t understand. Whenyou artificially hyper-stimulate the ovaries to release more eggs, rather thanone mature follicle bursting and one egg ovulating, that one ovary may haveten mature follicles that you then harvest out while the woman is sedated.We don’t have enough reliable data to say that this is safe, so this is a sub-parresult for the woman and, because of the risks for children born through IVF,a sub-par result for the child.IVF and IUI are simply imperfect: we can’t replicate what nature doesthrough the cervical fluid, through the contractions of the Fallopian tube,through the prostaglandins—it’s a very complicated process. Nor havewe been able to perfectly replicate the way the sperm meets the egg andbreaks through the shell, which is extremely complex. Now scientistsare wondering if there is some sort of reaction between the enzymes onthe sperm and the cervical fluid that allows for conception in a way thatproduces a healthier child.Also, under a microscope, the cervical fluid looks like perfect little channelsor superhighways. With natural conception, the sperm travel thesehighways to make it through the cervix and into the Fallopian tube to meetthe egg. When the estrogen drops sharply after ovulation, the hormonethat takes over is progesterone, which is responsible for the build-up of theuterine tissue. Now, instead of the perfect little highways, the cervical fluidlooks like a brick wall. The sperm can’t penetrate because this is the body’snatural way of making sure that sperm will not meet an egg that is not fresh.Both vitro fertilization and intrauterine insemination bypass this naturalsafeguard.Nor do we completely understand how the fertilized egg manages to reachthe Fallopian tube. Even if one Fallopian tube is damaged and a womanovulates from the ovary on that side, the egg can somehow find its wayover to the Fallopian tube on the undamaged side. The human body knowsinfinitely more than we could ever see in a laboratory with the best scientistsin the world.RtE: When you read about conception, and the incredible odds against asingle sperm and egg meeting, it seems very providential.Melanie: Yes, it appears that less than ten sperm out of millions make itthrough the cervix into the Fallopian tube, and only one of them is waitingto meet the egg.To touch on the spiritual angle, I like the way that the Orthodox bioethicist,Metropolitan Nikolaos (Hatzinikolaou) of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki speaksabout conception. He says that it is very disturbing to take the creation of lifeout of the warmth of the marital bed and place it in the coldness of a laboratorypetri dish. 2 This resonates with all of us; it’s unnatural to introduce athird party into the reproductive act.RtE: In IVF, do they implant one or many fertilized eggs?Melanie: Typically because it is so expensive (about $12,000 - $17,000 pertry depending on where you live) more than one embryo is implanted to insuresuccess. It is normal to implant four to six.RtE: This is why we hear of women who have used fertility drugs or IVF havingmultiple children. What if all of the embryos implant?Melanie: Then they will urge selective abortion. A recent dramatic exampleof this is the well-known American “Octamom” who had eight healthyembryos that survived the initial implantation. When they asked her toselectively abort most of the babies, she refused. If you have been waitingfor a child and someone tells you that the best chance is this very healthylookingegg that has just been implanted, you will tend to believe them.2 “The Embryo and its Development in Regard to its Formation as a Complete Human Being”, Conference onthe Church and Bioethics: The Word of Science and the Word of Religion, Chambésy, France, 11-15 September2002. Available online at: http://www.bioethics.org.gr/en/index.htmlA more recent article, “The Greek Orthodox Position on the Ethics of Assisted Reproduction” can beviewed at http://www.bioethics.org.gr/MMLN%20assisted%20repro.pdf1011