Adverse effects of IVF on children's development
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a method of implanting the fertilized eggs into the mother's uterus through in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology to achieve pregnancy and delivery. However, although IVF technology has made breakthroughs in solving the problem of infertility, compared with natural pregnancy, IVF has some adverse effects on the development of children.
Physiological development problems
The external conditions of IVF embryos in early pregnancy are different from those of naturally conceived embryos. First, IVF eggs and sperm may be affected by some chemicals during the process of artificial fertilization outside the laboratory. These chemicals may affect the normal development of embryos, leading to physiological development problems, such as increased risk of genetic diseases.
Secondly, IVF may undergo multiple embryo culture and selection processes before implantation into the mother's uterus. This means that only high-quality embryos will be selected for implantation, and other embryos may be abandoned. This selection process may lead to some physiological problems at birth, including premature delivery, low birth weight and neurodevelopmental problems.
Finally, IVF embryos may undergo some additional processing in the laboratory environment, such as embryo freezing and thawing. These treatments may affect the development of embryos and increase the risk of certain diseases after birth.
Mental health problems
IVF babies may face mental health problems during their growth. First of all, when IVF babies know that they came to the world through IVF technology, they may be confused and uneasy about their own life experience and family situation. They may have more curiosity and questions about their genetic origin and biological parents, which may affect their self-identity and family relations.
Secondly, parents of IVF babies may place too high expectations and pressure on their children. As they have experienced a long period of infertility, they may expect their children to have a special meaning to the family and society, which may bring a heavy burden to their children.
In addition, IVF may also face other problems related to mental health, such as social disorder and anxiety disorder. This may be due to the different experiences and identity feelings of IVF in the whole growth process.
Medical ethics
The development of IVF technology has caused a series of medical ethical problems. First, the widespread application of IVF technology may lead to excessive selection and abandonment of embryos. This process has triggered some moral and ethical disputes, involving respect for life and embryo protection.
Secondly, the high cost of IVF technology has excluded some families with poor economic conditions, which may lead to increased social inequality. This also triggered some discussions on how IVF technology treats the principles of fairness and equality.
In addition, the development of IVF technology also involves some risks and side effects. It is also an important medical ethics issue to assess and supervise the safety and impact of technology.
Summary
IVF has some adverse effects on children's development, including physical development problems, mental health problems and medical ethics problems. Although IVF technology has made a major breakthrough in solving the problem of infertility, we also need to recognize the existence of these adverse effects in order to better respond to and solve the corresponding problems and ensure the sustainable development and application of IVF technology.
