IVF 'creating an infertility timebomb'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/15/nivf115.xml

IVF 'creating an infertility timebomb'
By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor
Last Updated: 2:10am GMT 15/02/2008

Britain is facing an infertility timebomb because the increasing use of IVF means that couples with inherited fertility problems are able to have children and pass the condition on to the next generation, scientists report today.

Other factors contributing to future infertility include increases in obesity, sexually transmitted diseases and the number of women choosing to have children later in life.

Couples who conceive using IVF pass on their genetic fertility problems to the next generation

If the situation continues unchecked, within 10 years one in three couples will struggle to have children, compared with one in seven today.

Around one per cent of all births in Britain are the result of IVF or donor insemination and around 11,000 babies are born annually after fertility treatment. Each cycle of IVF costs between £4,000 and £8,000 and success rates are almost 30 per cent for women under the age of 35.

Writing in the British Medical Journal today, Prof Jens Peter Ellekilde Bonde, a professor of occupational medicine at Aarhus University in Denmark, and Prof Jørn Olsen, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California, said: "With the advent of assisted conception, subfertile couples may have as many children as fertile couples, so that genetic factors linked to infertility will become more prevalent in the generations to come."

Doctors said it was highly unlikely that using fertility treatment to overcome genetic causes of infertility could ever breed a race of humans completely unable to conceive naturally. Dr George Ndukwe, the medical director of Carefertility Nottingham, said: "The genetic component of infertility is largely in the male and is involved in sperm production. These men would never conceive naturally so by helping them conceive through IVF and ICSI (itra-cytoplasmic sperm injection) that component can be passed on and we counsel couples about this.

"They often say 'well if you can treat me, you can treat my son' and so do not see it as a major problem.

"The effect on overall infertility is small but it is real and it could increase."

More research should be carried out into the causes of infertility such as exposure to chemicals in the womb, and lifestyle and environmental factors, the scientists said.

Experts said there is some evidence that some men may have a genetic fault causing their low sperm count and there is a suggestion that some disturbances in ovulation may be caused by changes in the genetic make-up.

Allan Pacey, a senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, said: "The social changes over the last 30 or 40 years dwarf any genetic effect.

"The obesity problem, chlamydia and the tendency for smaller families and older mothers is having more of an effect on fertility than genetics."

the comments are great. some are breederish some arent.

Dammit, is everybody blind and stupid?
The planet is full up. In years to come we are going to see pestilence, war and famine on an unprecedented scale, exacerbated by conflicts over the ever-dwindling supply of water, and all people seem to be able to do is breed like sex-crazed rabbits.
Posted by Dave Rogers on February 15, 2008 9:41 AM
Report this comment

DONT TRY TO BEAT NATURE IT WILL BITE YOU BACK.IF YOU CANT HAVE CHILDREN THEN ITS NATURE TELLING YOU SOMETHING IS WRONG. SO MAKE A DECENT LIFE FOR YOUR SELF AND HELP CHILDREN IN NEED OF HELP AND FRIENSHIP AS A VOLUNTEER IN VARIOUS CHARITIES. FOR AS LONG AS THERE IS MONEY TO BE MADE COUPLES WILL BE ENCOURGED TO USE THE SERVICE OFFERED
Posted by max bernstein on February 15, 2008 9:40 AM

*********************************************************************************************************************************
I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

This one made me laugh, because it's so racist, i.e. we need more white babies:
In this country the majority of babies born are to immigrant women. We need more babies from European Christian people. Thinking of this whole issue, I remember reading the horror story by PD James called The Children of Men. A story of no more children being born, and a chase to abduct the last pregnant woman on earth. The story was recently made into a film.
Posted by Phyllis on February 15, 2008 9:12 AM

And this is my answer, because I don't think it will be published:
To Phyllis on February 15, 2008 9:12 AM:
In this country the majority of babies born are to immigrant women. We need more babies from European Christian people.

So what your racist self is saying by "christian" is we need more "white" babies...

Btw, I' female, white, baptized by force, so technically christian, but atheist and I don't want babies.

Your comment got posted, Mrs. Ogre!

So did this one:
Does it make sense for society and its NHS to provide expensive, time-consuming treatment to overcome a proven propensity to infertility and should it do if, eg, the individuals involved were possibly carriers of the genes for such conditions as Huntingdon's, haemophilia, cystic fibrosis? The Kennel Club takes care to prevent the breeding of dogs with certain defects genetically engendered and for very good reasons. Why should the human population be seen in a different light when it is suggested reducing the amount of human misery by avoiding some outcomes if there is a possibility of their persistence by thoughtless interventions merely for self-gratification? Sometimes the well-being of a whole population has to take priority over the insistence of individuals on their imagined rights.
Posted by Big Joak on February 15, 2008 12:38 PM

I have submitted a comment to that as well:

Good! The planet is overpopulated and if you are infertile then it is nature's way of saying "no". Harsh? Maybe, but that's the way things are. It's just tough.

We tinker with nature at our peril and soon we will reap what we sow and it won't be pretty.

I have no problem with rising infertility, because maybe then other species (which have as much right as we do to survive) might stand a chance of not becoming extinct.

While I am at it (and this is a seperate, although related, subject) the country should stop chucking benefits at breeders and make it far harder for some feckless members of society to take up breeding as a 'career' choice.

I understand some will be upset by this, but who said life is fair?

I kind of see [few] good things about this, and [many] bad things. The good thing is, if more sickly people are born - as the result of passing on genetic conditions and as the result of the IVF itself, there's a better chance that more people will die, thus reducing the population (and increasing business for funeral directors, morticians, embalmers, gravediggers, etc.). But, this will also mean higher health insurance premiums to cover IVF and to care for the aforementioned sickly people, people not getting the care they need because doctors are overbooked, thus leading to more people dying (which may or may not be good). I could also foresee things like welfare-sponsored IVF - for the women who can't afford the rent but who still want baybees.

Researchers can say what they wish, but nothing will ever deter the baby-rabid freaks in the world. Women don't care if they can pass on infertility to their kids because their kiddies can just do IVF like Mommy did. Women who are bent on IVF usualy also never care about any genetic conditions they might pass on because "I have XYZ Disease and I deal with it, so my baybee can too!" or "There's a 1 percent chance my baybee won't get AwfulDebilitatingFleshEating Disease, so I'll have a baybee! Tee-hee!" It's pretty sickening. And whoever invented IVF deserves to have a lawn dart rammed through their skull.

but the problem is, more and more extreme measures for "curing", its like they are saying that abortions should be reduced because 24 week old fetus (fetii), can survive but that is an survival of an extreme form.

all this letting the weak survive will do is increase the spending to save those that nature/god or whatever says dont. that only compounds the problem and makes more and more expenses which means insurance will fall, then as these sick children reach adult hood, its possible they wont be able to work.

problem is more people will survive with more and more xtreme measures taking place. there is a slight case of saying people with the more extreme problems, should be taken out of the gene pool. the ones where quality of life is so much in the negative as to be a burden on everyone else. Wouldnt it be better that the most sick have never been born. at least thats my opinion

*********************************************************************************************************************************
I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

Waaahhh Waaaahhh!! We can't make baaayyybeeeeesss!!

Whatever. Who cares. There should be a public service campaign stating
'Babies are not a requirement for life. If you can not have a baby, you will not die. Your genes are not special, and you do not DESERVE to have them passed on. Your children will not be special, they will not cure anything, they will live an unremarkable life...just like you."

"It truly is the one commonality that every designation of humans you can think of has, there's at least one asshole."
--Me

SPOT ON with that one!

Infertile wannabreeds are just like the kid in the supermarket who can't have that box of sugary cereal. They cry, whine, throw a temper tantrum, and are a pain in the ass to anyone within 100 yards.

So you can't have a baybee. Get over it. I want a Jag and can't afford one yet you don't see me throwing a fit!!

Feh Wrote:

> There should be a public
> service campaign stating
> 'Babies are not a requirement for life. If you
> can not have a baby, you will not die. Your genes
> are not special, and you do not DESERVE to have
> them passed on. Your children will not be
> special, they will not cure anything, they will
> live an unremarkable life...just like you."

Well done!

The Wall Street Journal had an article re: American twitching infertiles going to India for IVF treatment with the claims of how medicine is cheaper in the Far East. Would love it if one of these whitebread couples ended up with an East Indian baby. There is no way the twitching infertiles could sue an international doctor or hospital. That would be the best payback.

Oh, Am, wouldn't that be just *PERFECT*????? These stupid wannabreeds have that "I NEED A BAYBEE AT ALL COSTS" mentality and expect it to be a perfect, lilly white replica of Mr and Mrs DNA. How funny would it be for them to give birth to a half-caucasian, half-indian baybee? OH I'd LOVE to be a fly on the wall in THAT delivery room!!!!! LOL!

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with a half-cauc, half-indian baybee, it would just be funny because the reproductive cripples would be MORTIFIED.