New in-vitro fertilization method respects embryonic life

Published in Christian Renewal magazine, 1 August 2007

A recently developed in-vitro fertilization (IVF) method that respects embryonic life has produced its first successful birth, according to a July 2 report by French news agency AFP.

Previous IVF methods have followed the same basic procedure: eggs are harvested and fertilized, creating embryos. A small number are then transferred into the uterus, and any remaining embryos are frozen to preserve them for possible transfer in the future.

This basic method raises some ethical issues, however, as at least one-third of frozen embryos do not survive the thawing process. To those who believe human life begins at conception, this procedure intrinsically threatens human life.

In the new method, developed at McGill Reproductive Center in Montreal, freezing takes place before the eggs are fertilized: they are harvested, the desired number are fertilized and transferred, and the remaining eggs are frozen. For any future IVF procedure, the desired number of frozen eggs can be thawed and then fertilized.

Embryos have been historically favored over eggs for freezing because embryos are easier to freeze and because frozen eggs had not yet been successfully fertilized, transferred, and matured to birth until this project.

AFP quotes Hananel Holzer, the leader of the team that developed the new procedure, as saying,

Until now, it was not known whether oocytes [human eggs] collected from unstimulated ovaries, matured in vitro and then vitrified could survive thawing, be fertilised successfully and result in a viable pregnancy after embryo transfer. We have demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to do this and, so far, we have achieved four successful pregnancies, one of which has resulted in a live birth. The other three pregnancies are ongoing.

The McGill study used a trial group of 20 women who have been diagnosed with advanced polycystic ovarian syndrome, which had rendered them infertile. Doctors are hopeful that this procedure will also be useful to treat patients whose infertility is caused by cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Although the success rate for this new procedure is still lower than other IVF methods, it has been steadily improving. The McGill team is confident that it will soon rival any other IVF method.

Because it shifts the most threatening portion of the IVF process to earlier in the procedure, this new method is more respectful of embryonic life. To those who believe human life begins at conception and consequently oppose most IVF methods because of their routinely careless treatment of embryos, this alternative method is an encouraging development.