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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask if people today don’t agree with ivf?!

817 replies

Yaerry · 25/11/2024 15:44

or am I just naive? Watched the new documentary about Jean Purdy and I’m surprised there was so much push back at the time. It’s made me wonder if one day surrogacy will be more accepted? I thought ivf was just a standard thing now that wasn’t controversial.

OP posts:
adviceneeded1990 · 26/11/2024 08:01

itzthTtimeGib · 26/11/2024 07:59

Congrats on your DD!

I totally get your point although I was making a slightly different one, I wasn’t saying IVF should fix the underlying causes of infertility. Or that parents shouldn’t be helped until they’re fixed.

I’m just wondering what the knock-on effect is if a child is born (via IVF) by parents with issues like poor egg quality/sperm quality who otherwise wouldn’t have conceived - makes sense that the child would then inherit the same issues, as they were never resolved. If IVF then becomes more widespread (half my NCT group were IVF, thats a significant proportion of kids if it represents my borough!) are we increasing the odds of children being born who will grow up to have fertility issues? How might that affect fertility 50 years from now?

Again I’m totally for IVF don’t get me wrong. If I hadn’t been able to conceive my kids the way I did, I would absolutely have had it myself. Just curious what it means for future fertility rates. I guess time will answer my question either way!

I’ve wondered about this a lot too but then we needed IVF whereas my Mum conceived me first cycle of trying and my sibling while on contraception 😂 and her Mum had her last child naturally at 44! So while I’ve inherited many good things, sadly their fertility wasn’t one of them and I have DOR and poor egg quality. I don’t think any future daughter would have that though, it seems to be a mixture of bad luck plus previous medical treatment impacting egg quality.

Rizzla · 26/11/2024 08:01

mayhayway42 · 26/11/2024 07:45

@Rizzla

I'm not trying to pick on you. I just want you to expand your thoughts and reasoning. So often people have opinions like yours as they have been told all their life by parents/ spiritual leaders what to think and believe

Really think through why you "believe" what you do. You might find it illuminating

Thank you, but yeah I have thought it through absolutely. I deeply believe that God creates all human life and it has inherent value as we are made in image of God.

And the location, age, vulnerability and
‘wantedness’ of a child doesn’t change that value. This is why I’m against abortion.

itzthTtimeGib · 26/11/2024 07:59

Blueroses99 · 26/11/2024 01:13

It’s not really necessary to ‘fix’ the cause of infertility if a couple go on to successfully have child(ren) via IVF. The purpose of the reproductive system is to reproduce. Improving the quality of sperm in the case of male factor infertility for example, would be entirely irrelevant to day to day life unless they were trying to have children. And given limitations in trying to diagnose in order to ‘fix’ in some cases (it’s a bit trial and error in my experience) or limited fixes available (is it even possible to unblock a fallopian tube?) it makes sense to focus on the overriding the issues via IVF.

We had IVF due to DH’s sperm issues but it turns out I also had really poor eggs, which didn’t appear on any tests but proven when all embryos failed to reach blastocyst stage at day 5 in my first round. (With a different partner with normal sperm, I expect fertility issues would have been ‘unexplained’.) We only got one NHS round, so when it failed we took all the notes to a private clinic who adjusted the drug protocol and now we have our DD. We never had to think about destroying embryos because there were never any spare.

Congrats on your DD!

I totally get your point although I was making a slightly different one, I wasn’t saying IVF should fix the underlying causes of infertility. Or that parents shouldn’t be helped until they’re fixed.

I’m just wondering what the knock-on effect is if a child is born (via IVF) by parents with issues like poor egg quality/sperm quality who otherwise wouldn’t have conceived - makes sense that the child would then inherit the same issues, as they were never resolved. If IVF then becomes more widespread (half my NCT group were IVF, thats a significant proportion of kids if it represents my borough!) are we increasing the odds of children being born who will grow up to have fertility issues? How might that affect fertility 50 years from now?

Again I’m totally for IVF don’t get me wrong. If I hadn’t been able to conceive my kids the way I did, I would absolutely have had it myself. Just curious what it means for future fertility rates. I guess time will answer my question either way!

adviceneeded1990 · 26/11/2024 07:58

namechangeGOT · 26/11/2024 06:49

They can't do that! I like to see it though, I enjoy seeing someone make a complete hypocritical bellend of themselves.

Would ban donor sperm/eggs because the child should know where it comes from. But won't ban one night stands for women where the woman never divulges who the father is or simply doesn't know. Because women's rights innit.

Believe women are coerced and pressured into donating their eggs so would ban egg donation but won't ban abortion which many women worldwide are coerced and pressured into undertaking.

Believe women should own their bodies and the things in it except when they choose what to do with their eggs and then the MN police force come out telling us all we have no right to do as we please after all.

Apparently, embryos when talking of abortion are 'just a bunch of cells' but embryos stored/frozen/etc are the life form of the future of the universe and should be treated as such.

They seem to believe IVF is scattered around like smarties on the NHS which provides much hilarity for me and a reinforcement of the belief that 99% of so called intelligent women on MN haven't got a scooby doo about what they're on about.

Totally agree with you.

I’m a teacher and have worked in child protection previously and every single child impacted by trauma that I’ve met has had it inflicted on them by biological parents who naturally conceived them. Unfortunately shit parenting and high fertility seem to go hand in hand in my local area!

But on here it seems like as long as they didn’t use a donor egg or sperm it’s fine to ruin the kids life. 🤔

Also once filled in a form with a Mum who referred to her tween child’s father in front of him as “some black guy I met in local night club”. How in any way would that child be more impacted by their father being a sperm donor because Mum wanted him so much? I know what I’d rather my story was!

gannett · 26/11/2024 07:55

ItCantHurtYou · 25/11/2024 17:14

I don’t agree with IVF if it involves egg and sperm donation, but other than that, I think it’s ok.

Surrogacy is the renting of women and their wombs and purchasing of babies which is extremely unethical. It should be banned everywhere imo.

I didn't know so many people were anti-surrogacy until I read MN. I have no skin in the game at all but this is a weird argument to me. Under capitalism we rent ourselves and our body parts out every day. We sell the use of our hands, legs, voices, muscles, brains. Some body parts more than others depending on job. Why not wombs as well, if it's the woman's choice?

Unless you're against the idea that any part of us should be transactional at all in which case I'm quite sympathetic to the anarcho-communist utopia you're going for actually.

Missmarymack2 · 26/11/2024 07:55

sunights · 25/11/2024 23:57

I see abortion as an individual choice- to be resolved through the soul contract between mother and unborn child.

Destroying embryos is soulless. There is no contract to play out - only trauma.

Edited

Sorry but this makes no sense whatsoever to me. Soul contract ?? Eh yeh

Needanewname42 · 26/11/2024 07:51

IVFmumoftwo · 26/11/2024 05:56

I don't see the difference between embryos discarded (usually because they aren't viable) and the monthly period where you might have a chemical but it doesn't work. It happens frequently.

Not sure what trauma my IVF kids are going to feel? 🤔

I started writing ✍️ saying I kind of see a difference but really your 100% right I'm splitting hairs. I've shed tears for chemicals but not embryos that didn't take.

But there must be millions of embryos that form in fallopian tubes every month that never implant, just the same as my two best quality embryos.

Nature will also discard a pregnancy that isn't right loads of pregnancies are lost in the first 3 months. Which must be heartbreaking.

Is a lab deciding an embryo isn't good enough to consider using or freezing it any different to nature?

The number of good quality or even ok quality embryos destroyed must be very low. But even my two best didn't take so lots wouldn't have taken anyway.

mayhayway42 · 26/11/2024 07:45

@Rizzla

I'm not trying to pick on you. I just want you to expand your thoughts and reasoning. So often people have opinions like yours as they have been told all their life by parents/ spiritual leaders what to think and believe

Really think through why you "believe" what you do. You might find it illuminating

Moglet4 · 26/11/2024 07:42

Firefly1987 · 26/11/2024 03:21

Those people are likely to be in physical pain without treatment so withholding that would be unethical. If your only health problem is not being able to have bio kids, it's not comparable.

Should mental health not be treated then?

nothingcomestonothing · 26/11/2024 07:41

Mumtobabyhavoc · 25/11/2024 23:23

It us a group with a political agenda.

www.legalizesurrogacywhynot.com/who-we-are

The political agenda of the site doesn't change how appalling those real people's experiences are though, or that the law allowed women and children to be endangered and harmed. And if you look at the second link I posted , the Law Commission in the UK wants to make the UK law on surrogacy and egg donation more akin to the US system. That's not something we should sleepwalk into - and the Law Commission disregarded all the responses to their consultation which were against surrogacy, because that wasn't what they wanted to hear. They wanted to know 'do you like this type of surrogacy regulation, or that type' and didn't want to hear from people saying they didn't want surrogacy to be legal at all. That's a political agenda too.

mayhayway42 · 26/11/2024 07:40

@Rizzla why exactly

Rizzla · 26/11/2024 07:39

mayhayway42 · 26/11/2024 07:34

@Rizzla Do you feel the same about abortion. Do you believe in a woman's right to choose

No, I don’t believe we have the right to choose to end the life of an unborn baby

mayhayway42 · 26/11/2024 07:34

@Rizzla Do you feel the same about abortion. Do you believe in a woman's right to choose

Rizzla · 26/11/2024 07:27

Missmarymack2 · 25/11/2024 20:55

Are the people against destroying embryos also against abortion ?

Yes as it’s destroying life which is the issue. Lots of my friends and family hold this view too

Lostmyusernametoday · 26/11/2024 07:25

mayhayway42 · 26/11/2024 07:19

This is one of the saddest threads I've read on here. So horrible to hear people's "real
Opinions".

Infertility is hard and cruel and unfair. IVF is a blessing for some, for others if brings hope and at least you knew you tried everything.

Most people's objections seem to come from misinformation and ignorance.

The cost to the nhs is a red herring, many self inflicted injustices and illness cost a lot more.

Couldn’t agree more! I self funded my ivf because I’m lucky enough to have in-laws who can help financially and I felt like if they’ve offered I’ll free up my spot in the queue for someone who needs it more than I do. Absolutely should be funded, I’ve been through a fair bit in my life and struggling to have a baby was easily the worst

mayhayway42 · 26/11/2024 07:19

This is one of the saddest threads I've read on here. So horrible to hear people's "real
Opinions".

Infertility is hard and cruel and unfair. IVF is a blessing for some, for others if brings hope and at least you knew you tried everything.

Most people's objections seem to come from misinformation and ignorance.

The cost to the nhs is a red herring, many self inflicted injustices and illness cost a lot more.

namechangeGOT · 26/11/2024 06:49

SwordToFlamethrower · 26/11/2024 00:54

Hell of a lot of pro lifers on this thread. If you don't like ivf, don't have it.

If you don't like the idea of donors, don't use one yourself.

Don't like surrogacy? Same.

Mind your own business?

They can't do that! I like to see it though, I enjoy seeing someone make a complete hypocritical bellend of themselves.

Would ban donor sperm/eggs because the child should know where it comes from. But won't ban one night stands for women where the woman never divulges who the father is or simply doesn't know. Because women's rights innit.

Believe women are coerced and pressured into donating their eggs so would ban egg donation but won't ban abortion which many women worldwide are coerced and pressured into undertaking.

Believe women should own their bodies and the things in it except when they choose what to do with their eggs and then the MN police force come out telling us all we have no right to do as we please after all.

Apparently, embryos when talking of abortion are 'just a bunch of cells' but embryos stored/frozen/etc are the life form of the future of the universe and should be treated as such.

They seem to believe IVF is scattered around like smarties on the NHS which provides much hilarity for me and a reinforcement of the belief that 99% of so called intelligent women on MN haven't got a scooby doo about what they're on about.

Mumtobabyhavoc · 26/11/2024 06:35

Nes44 · 26/11/2024 06:17

surrogacy is just awful, I know someone who got involved with it and their experience has only reinforced my views, more so sympathy for the child who ends up with no one who ever considered itself her mother as the surrogate completely mentally disassociated from the poor thing from the start of the pregnancy (and the fathers are not always so perfect as the media like to portray either) but sad also to see young poor naive women exploited.
I’d never really had a problem with IVF and absolutely thrilled whenever I met a couple who had been trying for years for a baby and it had actually happened. However I do now think its use has become sadly too perverted as of examples others have given.

its use has become sadly too perverted as of examples others have given.

Which examples are those? I must've missed them.

Marmiteontoastgirlie · 26/11/2024 06:33

The UK has a very low birth rate, combined with social forces meaning couples aren’t trying for children until mid 30s - the NHS should fund IVF, the public coffers will get much more than the thousands of £ IVF cost back in tax income from children that are produced. It just makes economic sense for a western country to offer IVF in this day and age, we need more children and we also have an economy where many women need to build careers instead of have babies through their most fertile years. Enter IVF.

Nes44 · 26/11/2024 06:17

surrogacy is just awful, I know someone who got involved with it and their experience has only reinforced my views, more so sympathy for the child who ends up with no one who ever considered itself her mother as the surrogate completely mentally disassociated from the poor thing from the start of the pregnancy (and the fathers are not always so perfect as the media like to portray either) but sad also to see young poor naive women exploited.
I’d never really had a problem with IVF and absolutely thrilled whenever I met a couple who had been trying for years for a baby and it had actually happened. However I do now think its use has become sadly too perverted as of examples others have given.

IVFmumoftwo · 26/11/2024 05:57

Physic trauma. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

IVFmumoftwo · 26/11/2024 05:56

I don't see the difference between embryos discarded (usually because they aren't viable) and the monthly period where you might have a chemical but it doesn't work. It happens frequently.

Not sure what trauma my IVF kids are going to feel? 🤔

Lostmyusernametoday · 26/11/2024 05:54

Firefly1987 · 26/11/2024 03:21

Those people are likely to be in physical pain without treatment so withholding that would be unethical. If your only health problem is not being able to have bio kids, it's not comparable.

Trust me it’s a hell of a lot worse than
most of the above, is take a broken leg skiing over night after night of sobbing (for years) and all joy being taken away from me. You really ought not to comment, you clearly don’t understand

jeaux90 · 26/11/2024 05:53

IVF is fine but I do not agree with the way in industry targets poor young women to donate eggs.

Surrogacy should be banned.

Lostmyusernametoday · 26/11/2024 05:51

sunights · 25/11/2024 23:37

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) I am fine with, esp where the sperm donor has consented to the specific insemination.

And consenting adoption is fine, with a grey area where there is a financial exchange from the couples unable to conceive.

But messing with embryos and stem cells is wrong and I believe leads to psychic trauma once when the conscious souls within those embryos reincarnate in future generations.

it needs to be internationally outlawed.

Jesus you really can’t argue with stupid can you

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