Do you find this insulting?

[Lulu]

How hypothetical is this question?
Does anyone actually go through IVF to get a multiple birth?? Are you allowed?

Has this question been raised before Brad and Ange?

I didn't answer the poll because Im not sure the question is even relevant if it doesn't even happen.....

[hopefullysoon]

Well first up, the issue of whether or not Brad and Angelina's twins were naturally conceived or not is obviously irrelevant! (why all the debate on this?!) - they being merely a catalyst for raising the topic of whether or not IVF treatment specifically for twins, in a healthy couple is ethical or not.
Personally (and this will always be a very subjective topic), I am always very leery of medical procedures being performed unecessarily in healthy individuals (not just IVF). I think there is are definite ethical issues in exposing an individual to the associated risks (low though they may be, granted) of a purely voluntary and 'to order' medical procedure when they have a healthy natural alternative. Is the treating physician truly acting in their patient's best medical interests? Particularly in this debate, where the 'voluntary' pregnancies in question are twin pregnancies with the statistically markedly higher associated risks.
And of course the other major issue for me is one of resourses. Certainly I beleive that in the allocation of fertility treatment resources, 'voluntary' couples should be at the end of the queue at the very least, and no public health insurance should cover any of it.
I think we need to be very aware also, of where this could potentially lead, and what is fueling the access to this 'voluntary' fertility (including 'to order' twins). In 2007 I travelled to the USA to access IVF as a surrogate, for friends of mine who had tried unsuccessfully to conceive for approximately eight years. I can certainly vouch for the fact that the large fertility clinics there, are all about commercialism - they are absolute 'baby making' production lines (it quite took my breath away, and was somewhat distasteful and offputting from my perspective). Would we really want our fertility clinics in Australia to take on such an industrial commercial edge: profit making, 'user pays', 'to order' pregnancies? Hmmm.....
Leading on from this is the issue of how much 'control' we should ethically be able to access over our pregnancies - where does the buck stop. If we can have a twin pregnancy 'to order', what about gender, or (as genetic sciences scurry along) specific physical characteristics, or, or, or............it certainly a line in the sand that we need to think about. (Don't get me wrong folks, I'm absolutely pro genetic technologies, where there are genuine health or fertility issues to address).
Absolutely finally (sorry for this being so long!!), having undergone IVF treatment, I think you'd have to be mad to access it for no good reason - it's lengthy, incredibly invasive, and most unpleasant.
By the way - I had twins (the embyos weren't fabulous, so it was judged prudent to transer two embryos, and they obviously decided they were there to stay anyway!!).

Cheers Hopefullysoon

[butterfly_warrior]

Lulu, it depends on the clinic. My FS flat out refused to do double embryo transfers, regardless of age and number of failed cycles, so twin pregnancies with him are simply not an option. I never bothered asking, as a 43 year old friend seeing the same doctor with numerous failed cycles behind her was flatly refused. I figured that me at 33 with a good pregnancy rate from transfers (sadly also followed up with a high rate of miscarriage) would have no hope of trying to make him budge.

Others are happier to put two embryos back, but I have always been under the impression that it's to increase the chances of having one stick, rather than a deliberate action to give the couple twins. Someone who is actually able to have double embryo transfers would be better suited to answer the question than myself.

BW

[nanananny]

My double ET's are because of my age (now 44) and yes it's to double the chances of one sticking not to have twins although that would be nice

[Lulu]

Thats what I mean, I read here how Drs won't do it here, so it's not like you rock up and say "2 please"!
I've seen how some of you guys have to ARGUE to have 2 transfers, and as much as that would CRAP ME OFF if I was in your situation, Hopefullysoons perspective of the baby machine clinics in the US have given it another angle.

I want to know why the journo thinks its an issue worth discussing if it doesn't happen here, and it doesn't look like many FS's will do it anyway....

[sushee]

I never really had to argue to have two transferred. I had 2 day 2 embryos transferred at my second stim cycle, at 34 years of age. But it was never about trying to have twins, it was about trying to have a child, period.

I had 2 embryos transferred each time from my second cycle onwards too, and took until my 8th cycle to fall pregnant. That cycle, I had 2 blastocysts transferred (even better chance of implantation) and yet still had a singleton pregnancy.

Which is why I find it funny that anyone thinks they can 'order' a twin pregnancy. They would be unnecessarily spending money on a invasive, unpleasant procedure, may face the prospect of mulitple foetal reduction (if they try to increase their chances by transferring 3 or more embryos, as they're allowed to do in the US), or - the most likely scenario - end up with a singleton pregnancy anyway.

Then what happens? Do you sue for not getting the twins you paid for? LOL!

[byronsprincess]

Honestly, I would rather spend my time thinking about my own family and concerns, if you spend a little less time worrying about what others do and more time concerntrating on your own life you will find you are alot happier and no longer get insulted by what others do. I need AC , what others do is none of my concern.