RightHealth Daily Dose » fertilization

“Octomom” Doctor Expelled From Fertility Organization

Steven — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:29:16 +0000

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has expelled Dr. Michael Kamrava, the physician famous for transferring numerous embryos via in vitro fertilization to Nadya Suleman, who later went on to give birth to octuplets. Dr. Kamrava of the West Coast IVF Clinic in Beverly Hills, California transferred six embryos into Ms. Suleman’s uterus – it’s believed that two of those embryos split into twins, leading to the birth of eight infants. In patient younger than 35 years of age, ASRM guidelines say that only one or two embryos can be transferred to reduce the risk of multiple births. Provider tracking data apparently shows that Dr. Kamrava transferred, on average, 4.1 embryos to patients under 35. [via Medical News Today]

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Twin Boys, Different Fathers

Steven — Tue, 19 May 2009 07:23:30 +0000

The parents of 11 month old twin boys disclosed this past week an incredible story – that their twins are actually step half brothers. Ms. Mia Washington of Dallas, Texas admitted that an act of indiscretion had resulted in the conception of her boys by two different fathers. This phenomenon, known as heteropaternal superfecundation, is extremely rare that only a few cases have been reported in medical literature. This is mostly because multiple eggs must first be released during one ovulatory period, and then fertilized by different fathers. DNA testing concluded that there was a 99.999% chance that the twins have different fathers. Read more.

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The Arrival Of Designer Babies

Steven — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:08:26 +0000

A Los Angeles fertility clinic has sparked controversy by offering parents the ability to select the sex, hair color and eye color of babies. However, “designer babies” have actually been here for many years already. The technology, called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), is currently used during in vitro fertilization to screen embryos for genetic diseases (such as Huntington’s disease, sickle cell anemia, muscular dystrophy) prior to implantation into the mother’s womb. The difference now is that you are selectively choosing an embryo based on physical traits. The LA Fertility Institute’s first such designer baby is expected to be born next year and will no doubt spark discussions of ethics and morality.