According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the infertility rate in the mainland has been increasing year by year and has now reached a staggering 18%, with about 33 million families suffering from fertility disorders.
With current medical technology, the best way to solve fertility disorders is to use assisted reproductive technologies, such as IVF. However, the current birth rate of assisted reproduction in the world is still less than 30%.
It can be seen that we don't know much about this technology, what is IVF, how did it develop to the present, and how does it help human beings solve the problem of fertility? These problems must have been bothering you, let's take a look:
1. What is IVF? Let's find out
To understand what IVF is, it is necessary to understand exactly what technology it refers to and how it appeared: IVF (IVF) refers to the process of collecting female eggs and male sperm in a laboratory environment, allowing them to undergo in vitro fertilization in a petri dish, and then implanting the fertilized egg into the woman's uterus to implant and grow into a fetus.
In 1934, scientists first successfully fertilized rabbit eggs in a test tube. The success inspired the scientists, who wondered: Could this technology help people who are struggling with fertility problems?
Later, in 1978, the Edwards' IVF technology made it possible to simply collect eggs and sperm for mixed culture.
By the 80s, with the improvement of the performance of micromanipulation equipment, scientists could directly observe the maturation and fertilization process of eggs under a stereo microscope, so that the fertilization rate was greatly improved.
In the 90s, with the development and application of more advanced media components, the in vitro culture environment of fertilized eggs was improved, and the miscarriage rate was significantly reduced.
In the 21st century, it was discovered that various growth factors can also help implant a fertilized egg, which further improved the technology. With the improvement of various assistive technologies, the success rate of IVF technology continues to grow. The initial success rate was less than 5%, but by the 21st century it has increased to about 40%, especially when the mother is younger.
It is expected that with the development of media components and targeted fertility drugs in the future, the success rate will be further improved.
The biggest difference between IVF technology and other artificial reproductive technologies such as artificial insemination and embryo transfer is that it realizes in vitro fertilization of germ cells, overcoming the problem that natural fertilization in vivo is difficult to achieve. At the same time, it can also obtain multiple high-quality eggs through superovulation, which makes it possible to screen for superior embryos. These two points are the most important features of IVF technology.
In addition, it can be used in combination with a variety of reproductive technologies such as embryo cryopreservation.
It can be said that IVF is unique among all the current assisted reproductive technologies, but IVF is only a general term, and it can also be subdivided into specific types, let's take a look:
Second, IVF is also different, let's see what the difference is
In medical guidelines, IVF techniques are usually categorized according to the specific procedure, the source of germ cells used, and whether genetic testing is performed. Here's a more detailed breakdown:
1.体外受精 (IVF)：
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an assisted reproductive technique characterized by the combination of eggs and sperm in a laboratory to form a fertilized egg, which is then transferred back to the woman's uterus.
In the specific operation steps, women need to undergo hormone therapy to promote the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, and after the eggs and sperm are combined in the laboratory, the carefully cultivated fertilized eggs are selected and transferred back to the uterus to improve the chance of conception, which is also the most common IVF technique.
It is commonly used to treat fertility disorders caused by uterine infertility, blocked fallopian tubes, male infertility, ovarian dysfunction, etc.
Couples who have been unsuccessful in trying to conceive spontaneously after a certain period of time, or who are at risk of congenital or genetic disorders, or who are infertile due to other medical reasons, may consider IVF to improve their chances of a successful pregnancy.
2. Frozen Embryo Transfer Technology:
Frozen embryo transfer technology is an option that offers more flexible fertility planning and features the cryopreservation of fertilized eggs after in vitro fertilization.
In this procedure, the fertilized eggs are cultured to a certain stage of development and then cryopreserved for future use. When needed, the embryos are thawed and transferred to the woman's uterus.
This technique is suitable for women who are not currently physically fit to conceive or who are not currently intending to become pregnant, and this technique can preserve embryos for years to decades, providing a flexible window of time.
3. Embryo Biology Testing (PGT):
Embryo biology testing (PGT) is a technique that performs genetic or chromosomal testing of a fertilized egg prior to implantation, which is characterized by reducing the risk of certain genetic diseases.
In the operation step, the fertilized egg is cultured to a certain stage of development, and then genetic or chromosomal testing is carried out to screen healthy embryos for transfer to improve the success rate of fertility. This technology is mainly for those couples with hereditary diseases, and after screening, select non-diseased embryos for pregnancy, so as to achieve "eugenics".
4.卵巢排卵刺激 (Ovulation Induction)：
Ovulation induction is a hormone treatment that causes the ovaries to produce multiple eggs to increase the chance of conception. In this procedure, women receive hormone therapy to assist the ovaries in producing multiple eggs, thereby increasing the success rate and providing more options for couples who want to conceive, which is suitable for women with ovulation abnormalities and ovulation disorders.
The above technical classifications are mainly based on the differences in the source of the egg and the environment in which the embryo is implanted in the uterus, but the core principles are in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer, so there are many medical foundations (oocyte development monitoring, sperm processing, fertilization culture technology, etc.) are common.
These classifications help doctors choose the most appropriate technique based on the couple's fertility status and needs. At the same time, different techniques may be used in combination to increase success rates or solve specific problems.
Are there rumors that IVF has a short lifespan, low IQ, and are prone to cancer? Is IVF different from a normal fetus? Will it affect the health of the fetus?
3. Is IVF true or false in terms of short life expectancy and low IQ?
Let's first take a look at the results of authoritative medical research: the Karolinska Institute in Sweden conducted a 25-year long-term follow-up study on "whether there is a difference in intelligence between IVF and naturally conceived babies".
The study looked at 102 IVF babies and 97 naturally conceived babies born between 1982 and 1995. Cognitive development assessments were performed at the age of 2, 5, 8 and 10 years, and again 25 years later (mean age 30.2 years).
The results showed that the IVF group performed similarly to the control group in the tests of language, reading, mathematics and spatial ability, and there was no significant difference in the proportion of higher education between the two groups.
Overall, the study supports the ability of IVF to catch up with the general population in terms of cognitive development and education, and that the ability to work and quality of life in adulthood is similar to that of the control group.
This is one of the longest controlled studies to date and is very informative. Moreover, there is only a difference between IVF and naturally conceived babies in the way of conception, and they also grow up in the mother's womb normally, so there is no difference between the two in essence, and there is no statement that IVF has a low IQ and is prone to cancer.
In the course of the development of IVF technology, we have witnessed great advances in science and medicine, bringing new hope to couples who once faced fertility difficulties.
From the success stories of the first generation to today's technological innovations, IVF technology has become a bridge for many families to realize their dreams.
IVF technology has opened up new possibilities for us, but more importantly, we need to maintain humanity, warmth and care behind the technology. Because every life is unique and precious, and deserves to be cared for with love and care.
Bibliography:
[1] Yu Jianhua, Liu Qingyu, Wang Liwei, et al.Clinical characteristics and physical development of preterm IVF[J].Yunnan Medicine,2023,44 (05): 1-5.
[2] Zhong Cheng.How much do you know about blastocyst culture in IVF technology[J].Renren Health,2023,(27):59.)
[3] Liu Xia.For more people to realize the "parental dream"[N].Science and Technology Daily,2023-08-16 (004).
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