Case Study:In Vitro Fertilization

Dan and Melissa have been married for six years and have experienced difficulty starting a family. Their most recent trial was a second tubal pregnancy with accompanying medical complications that almost ended Melissa’s life. Although warned by their doctor of the possibility of another miscarriage, they purchased baby clothes and a new crib and even started painting the baby’s room before the miscarriage. Emotionally, this second loss has been especially difficult for Melissa, primarily because it occurred so soon after their struggles with adoption. Last year, Dan and Melissa met with the adoption agency. They were matched with a 2- year-old boy of Nez Perce heritage. He was placed in their home immediately while they waited for the adoption to be finalized. Dan and Melissa instantly fell in love with the little boy, whom they decided to name Sam. However, their excitement was short-lived. A few weeks later, they were informed they could not adopt the boy after all. Due to the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, which gives Indian tribes legal rights in the placement of Indian children, and because Dan and Melissa were Caucasians, the Nez Perce tribe decided to prevent adoption into a home outside of their culture.

Shortly thereafter, Dan and Melissa were offered the opportunity to adopt a Caucasian child through LDS Social Services. Because the adoption was from another state and there were questions as to the legal rights of the biological mother, the adoption could fall through. If successful, it would not be finalized for at least one year. After their experience of losing Sam, Dan and Melissa decided to abandon adoption in favor of trying to conceive a child of their own.

Because of their difficulties with natural conception, Melissa was referred to a clinic that performs in vitro fertilization (IVF). As explained by her doctor, the process of IVF consists of 5 steps. Step 1 is stimulation of the ovary by drugs to produce multiple eggs, step 2 is egg retrieval, step 3 is fertilization of the eggs in the laboratory, step 4 is the transfer of the resulting embryos into the uterus, and step 5 is pregnancy. The doctor also advised Melissa to freeze and store the “extra” embryos, or the embryos that were created by fertilization but not implanted on the first attempt at conception. The doctor explained that most couples only have a 25-50% probability of a live birth per IVF procedure and, in the event of a failed pregnancy, will most likely want to attempt another transfer. However, because the process is time consuming, emotionally draining, expensive, and difficult on the woman’s body, minimizing the number of such procedures is medically wise. This is an attractive alternative for both Melissa and Dan, but both have reservations. Reservations include safety of the mother, LDS doctrine and the fate of the extra embryos.