Originally written for the 1996 March/April issue of Psychology Today Magazine, this article stills feels timely and relevant. I’ve had this page bookmarked for a while and have been digesting it in bits. Don’t be turned off by the first paragraph which states:

Contrary to popular belief, there is no infertility crisis sweeping the nation. We’ve just lost all conception of what it takes to conceive. Reproductive technology has made us impatient with nature. So for increasing numbers of couples the creation of a new human being has become a strangely dehumanizing process.

Because what follows is actually a quite thoughtful and thorough discussion of infertility, assisted reproduction and the role it is now playing in our lives. And, pages later, the article finally does admit that it is nearly impossible to determine whether or not infertility in men is rising or falling and,

Although infertility rates are not on the rise overall, Creighton University sociologist Shirley Scritchfield, Ph.D., points out that they are rising among some subgroups of the population: all young women between the ages of 20 and 24 and women of color.

A rise in sexually transmitted diseases, which can permanently harm reproductive organs, is seen as a primary reason.

The article explores why couples go through such lengths to reproduce and how the insertion of technology into the mix can both dehumanize the process and intensify the desire to add a new human to the family:

Couples undergoing intensive fertility treatments lose their wide-angle perspective on life. They may fall behind in their careers and cut themselves off from friends and family, all in the narcissistic pursuit of cloning their genes. Technology may provide us with the illusion that it’s helping us control our reproductive fate, but in reality, it just adds to the narcissism. “The higher tech the treatment, the more inwardly focused couples become,” says Doherty.

I’m not sure if I agree with those assumptions, but I don’t mind these conclusions:

“Most couples who seek fertility treatment are committed enough to their relationship that they will go through pain and suffering to have a child together,” says Pasch. And if they have the skills to address their problem, their relationships tend to become stronger—even if they never have a baby.”

I would love to hear your take on Psychology Today’s take on “technofertility.”

…after you add your entry to the latest Green Giveaway, which features the kind of high tech Fertility Scope.

Post from: Blisstree

Has “Technofertility” Taken Over?

What are the options available? What are the questions you really need to ask yourself? What are the logistics of donating embryos to research? To another couple? Can one just keep paying the cryopreservation fee indefinitely to avoid making a decision?

I don’t have the answers to these questions, but Dawn Davenport at www.findingyourchild.com is facilitating a three-part podcast (May 21, May 29, June 4) that brings experts together to start the discussion. The first pod cast will take place today from noon-1 p.m. EST.

Have a look at this amazing line up. If you’d like to submit your own questions to the panels, you can forward them to dawn@findingyourchild.com.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
12-1 p.m. EST
Introduction: The options, the ethical and legal Issues involved (Part 1):

Anne Drapkin Lyerly, M.D., M.A.
Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and
Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities, and History of Medicine,
Duke Universityand lead author of latest research on preferences for embryo disposition

Nanette Elster
Genetic and Reproductive Health Attorney
Director of Health Law Institute, DePaul University College of Law

Michael J. Tucker, Ph.D., H.C.L.D., F.I. Biol.
Scientific Director, Georgia Reproductive Specialists
Scientific Director, Shady Grove Reproductive Science Center

Wednesday May 28, 2008
12-1 p.m. EST
Donating Embryos to Another Infertile Couple (Part 2):

Jeffrey Keenan, M.D.
Medical Director, Southeastern Fertility Clinic
Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University of Tennessee College of Medicine
Medical Director of the National Embryo Donation Center

Ruth F. Claiborne
Claiborne, Outman & Surmay, Atlanta, GA
Attorney specializing in Reproductive Technology and Adoption Law

Deborah Bohn
IVF patient and embryo donor

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
12-1 p.m. EST
Donating Embryos to Research (Part 3):

Dr. Marie Csete, M.D., PhD
Chief Scientific Officer, California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)

Shehua Shen, M.D., ELD (ABB), TS (ABB)
Assistant Adjunct Professor, UCSF
Director, UCSF Embryology Laboratory

Judith F. Daar
Professor of Law, Whittier Law School,
Professor of Medicine, University of California Irvine College of Medicine
Author of Reproductive Technologies and the Law

Post from: Blisstree

Navigating the Cold of Cryopreservation and What to Do with “Extra” Embryos