I was reading
this article about the female menstrual cycle being recreated in a laboratory, in order to test new treatments for diseases of the reproductive system. It was quite interesting to hear how different cells could be put in a series of cubes and the hormonal communications between them and the responses can be observed. The idea is that the individual's own cells could be used in order to determine the best course of treatment. The liver is also modeled, to include even individual drug metabolism.
At first I was quite excited to read about this. Finally, people are taking the various problems that affect these bits seriously. We could get better drugs for treating cramps. We could figure out which contraceptives are problematic for particular women without them having to endure the side effects. We could find treatment for painful diseases like PCOS, endometriosis and fibroids! I was enthusiastic, right up until the moment I read this:
Quote
"I am entirely confident that this novel technology represents a step-change in our ability to pinpoint defects that cause infertility and early pregnancy loss. However, it is not a system that can recapitulate all the specialised functions of the reproductive tract or replace IVF."
Wait, what? How did we get to
infertility,
miscarriage and
IVF from disease? I thought we were talking about improving quality of life from a personalized model to test drugs and treatments.
But of course, it's got to be about fertility. It's always about fertility. If there's no fertility involved, nobody gives a fuck about female reproductive organs, no matter how much pain and suffering they are causing. That's why the story is tagged as related to the topic of 'fertility'.
It's shit like this that makes me misanthropic.