A report by the Associated Press says that fewer than 20 percent of fertility clinics abide by the guidelines set out by their profession. So 80 percent break the rules? Why? And how?
The guidelines are purely voluntary, which is how it's not uncommon for multiple embryos to be transferred to a young woman's uterus, as was the case -- more than once -- for Octo-mom Nadya Suleman.
What do the doctors say?
From AP (via Salon):
Fertility doctors say there are many reasons clinics skirt the
guidelines: pressure from patients who want to use more embryos to
improve their chances of getting pregnant; financial concerns from
those who are paying for their treatment out of their own pockets; and
the competition among clinics to post good success rates.
And the only penalty for violating the guidelines is expulsion from
some of the industry's professional organizations, though that can
affect whether insurance companies will cover a clinic's treatments.
"You have patients who are desperate and you have doctors who are
driven by success rates. It's not a good combination," said Pamela
Madsen, founder and former head of the American Fertility Association.
The open outrage over Suleman and the simmering anger of the expense of the often sick children in these mega-multiples births are prompting some professionals to try to turn the guidelines into laws.
Think that'll happen?
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