In vitro fertilization is one of the most controversial medical practices worldwide, largely due to its invasive and exhausting nature and its enormous price tag.
One round will cost patients at least $20,000, a small price to pay for those struggling with fertility issues.
As for the patients, some are same-sex couples, while others are simply singles trying to be parents on their own.
As of this writing, 15 states, including California, require insurance plans to cover it, although most of the time coverage is minimal.
Considered a last resort for those who want to become parents but face obstacles in conceiving, the treatment continues to increase, at least in the United States.
Pictured, Fertility Institutes in Los Angeles, one of countless clinics across the country offering IVF. The practice, illegal in most countries, is now immensely popular in the United States.
In practice, patients select characteristics such as eye color and the sex of their baby, before a doctor removes eggs from the ovaries to be fertilized by sperm in a laboratory (seen here).
“The market is the size of the human race,” Jeffrey Steinberg, founder of the Los Angeles Fertility Institutes, said of the popularity of the practice of assisted pregnancy.
At his clinic, patients can select characteristics such as their baby’s eye color, while he collects eggs from their ovaries to be fertilized by sperm in a laboratory.
Participants can also choose the sex of their baby, a benefit he says appeals to only 85 percent of patients.
He said Board Tuesday how it markets this service aggressively, as figures on selective IVF for sex selection show it rakes in about $500 million a year for clinics across the country.
This represents 5 percent of the roughly $8 billion these practices rake in at SS, Steinberg noted, citing a seemingly unlimited ceiling for growth.
Sharon Moayeri, founder of OC Fertility in Newport Beach, said more of the same, revealing that for many Americans, the ability to choose sex is a kind of silver lining, in a sea of doubt created by difficulty conceiving.
However, unlike Steinberg’s, his clinic doesn’t advertise sex selection much, he said, although he estimates that about 15 percent of patients come solely for the benefit, without any fertility problems.
“The market is the size of the human race,” Jeffrey Steinberg, founder of Fertility Institutes, said of the popularity of the practice of assisted pregnancy.
Meanwhile, a doctor at the University of California, San Francisco medical center said a small number of patients come solely for gender selection, but noted several cases of parents who, once in the building, are more likely to request girls.
Sharon Moayeri said more of the same, revealing that for many Americans, the ability to choose sex is a kind of ray of light, in a sea of doubt created by difficulty conceiving.
The founder of OC Fertility in Newport Beach (pictured) said her clinic doesn’t promote sex selection much, though she estimates that about 15 percent of patients still come in solely for the benefit, without any fertility issues.
Meanwhile, a doctor at the University of California, San Francisco medical center said a small number of patients come solely for gender selection, but noted several cases of parents who, once in the building, are more likely to request girls. , a phenomenon that is not unique to Americans, Slate discovered.
The publication spoke to 15 women and a few men who plan to undergo IVF solely to be sure of conceiving a daughter, fueling debate about the degree of control some parents are attempting amid this controversial practice.
Meanwhile, IVF is almost unheard of in countries in the rest of the world: it is allowed for everyone only in Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, India, Israel, Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
Germany, Austria, Italy, the United Kingdom, Egypt and Saudi Arabia also offer IVF, but only to heterosexual couples, with the United Kingdom being the only one that allows it to single women.
Additionally, Egypt and Saudi Arabia only apply the practice to married couples, forcing would-be singles to look elsewhere.
In the United States, the ability to control a baby’s destiny — offered primarily to single mothers, same-sex couples and families with a history of autism — remains somewhat divisive.
In an exclusive poll conducted by DailyMail.com in March, 60 percent of Americans of all ages said the treatment should remain legal, while only 12 percent said it should be illegal, according to the survey of 1,000 voters.
In the United States, the ability to control a baby’s destiny — offered primarily to single mothers, same-sex couples and families with a history of autism — remains somewhat divisive.
In an exclusive poll conducted by DailyMail.com in March, 60 percent of Americans of all ages said the treatment should remain legal, while only 12 percent said it should be illegal, according to the survey of 1,000 voters.
Prominent states have written laws that stipulate that life begins at the moment of fertilization. In Louisiana, the intentional removal or destruction of a human embryo is illegal
In contrast, 27 percent said they knew nothing about it.
The groups with the narrowest majorities in favor of in vitro fertilization (IVF) were black and Latino, people between 18 and 29 years old, and Republicans.
In contrast, the greatest support came among people over 65, whites, college graduates and Democratic voters.
The results come after fertility treatment gained attention last month when an Alabama court ruled that frozen embryos have the same rights as children.
While the Alabama ruling did not directly restrict IVF, it could open the door to wrongful death lawsuits for discarded embryos.
Faced with the threat of legal proceedings, there are fears that doctors will stop performing IVF, limiting access to treatment that is already difficult to obtain.
Laura Kerwin, a Harvard-trained psychologist in California, told Slate: “It’s a money-making industry.
‘People need to realize that (clinics) have a fiduciary duty to make money to their shareholders. They are trying to sell you an option.
