Religion And The Media

The treatments available to help infertile couples to help children? In recent years in the western world, infertility has become much more of a problem. As much as 10% of couples in the UK have had to of been estimated to have fertility problems. This is mainly because of SDI'S (Sexually transmitted infections) such as Chlamydia and gonorrhea for a women and Gonorrhoea, Chlamydia, Syphilis for men. SDI'S are due to unprotected sex. For women infertility could also be due to problems with ovulation (the monthly release of an egg). Fertility problems in women can also be caused by conditions affecting the Fallopian tubes or urinary system.

Many solutions have been provided by medical technology, which is known as embryo technology.

The first embryo technology is In-vitro Fertilization (IVF). This is when an egg from a woman is fertilized outside the womb using the husbands or the donor's sperm. The egg is then replaced back inside the womb to grow. Another is, Artificial Insemination by husband (AIH) .This is when the husband's sperm is inserted into his wife by surgical means. Thirdly there is, Artificial Insemination by Donor (AID).When an anonymous man donates sperm, which is inserted into the mother/women. There is also, Egg Donation. This is when an egg is donated by another women and fertilized by IVF using the husbands sperm and it is then placed into the wife's womb. Embryo Donation is quite another popular one. This is when an egg from the woman and the sperm from a man which come from different donors, are fertilized using In-vitro Fertilization (IVF). The last one is Surrogacy. This is either when an egg and sperm of the wife and husband is fertilized by IVF and then placed into another woman's womb. It could also be when the husband sperm artificially inseminates another woman. In both of these cases, after the birth of the child the woman hands the baby to the husband and wife.

All of this new technology is fantastic to have in Great Britain but some of it cost a lot, but we are very lucky to even have the advanced technology to provide these methods.

Couples are now in the UK using all of the embryo technology. This is supervised by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority. Quite a few people have been in debate about the morality of the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority.

For religion reasons this is a problem as many of the opponents of fertility treatments have accused doctors of playing god. However, other people have classed fertility treatment as a miracle.

What is IVF?

IVF was developed in the 1970s. The first British test tube baby was Louise Brown, who was born in 1977. Some 30,000 test tube babies have been born in the UK since then. There are several different techniques, but the main process involves the women taking fertility drugs to help her produce more eggs. The eggs are then harvested and fertilised in the laboratory. The woman is given hormone drugs to prepare her womb to receive the fertilised eggs. The fertilised eggs are placed inside the womb and a normal pregnancy follows. If not done on the NHS it can cost up to Ј2,000 per cycle for a couple to go private. Most couples have three cycles at an average cost of Ј3,420.

Artificial Insemination by Husband

Artificial Insemination by Husband (AIH) involves the insertion of semen obtained from the husband which has been washed