The Way Nature Intended

How the new In Vitro Development technique may lessen the risks of birth abnormality.

It is widely known that there is a greater risk to the mother and baby with assisted conception, from miscarriage to birth defects to prematurity. That is, assuming the IVF is successful and she gets pregnant in the first place. The success rate of IVF is still only 20 to 25%.

But is it any wonder when you consider how difficult natural conception is? An egg is only present in the womb for one to two days each month so the chance of getting pregnant at any other time is about 5%, and that's for a fertile couple. Then the sperm have to make the journey to the egg, and they only live for between three and four days. They might not even make it passed the vaginal canal if the woman's mucus is not favorable, too acidic and they're dead before they even swim anywhere. If conditions are right, the egg's zona, or outer casing, has to be soft enough for a sperm to penetrate. If the egg is too hard, then the sperm cannot break into it and both will perish.

If fertilization does occur, the tiny cluster of human life then has to make it's way to a suitable place in the womb, a journey fraught with danger. If the conception occurs in the tubes, there is a risk of the embryo implanting there. If it makes it to the womb, the lining has to be optimal or it cannot implant and will get reabsorbed by the body.

Doctors say that a large percentage of pregnancies end before a woman has even missed her period, so she never knows she was pregnant.

When you consider the incredible odds involved, it's a miracle that IVF works at all, so anything that makes it more natural has to be good news.