alt Hacker NewsA Journey Through Infertility
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I get that in the West we are generally conceiving at a later stage in life than before, and that this does not improve odds of conception. However, with fertility, just as with so many things, we are individualising the problem. Here too the focus is on age. Just get kids when you're younger! What's the big deal.
Let's set aside that there are deeper sociological reasons on why young people start with kids later in life. We are not giving enough weight to all of the pollutants that we are exposed to in society, and how they affect our bodies, health and lives.
I heard Dr. Shanna Swan talk recently about the effects of hormone disrupting chemicals on (male) infertility. It's dire stuff really.
She was on the podcast promoting a recent Netflix documentary called The Plastic Detox in which they intervene in couple's lifestyles to reduce the amount of plastics and the hormone disrupting chemicals (bisphenols, phthalates, etc) they are exposed to. I highly recommend it.
There's over 70 different hormones in the human body regulating all kinds of biological functions. Fertility is only one aspect but think about the adverse effects these chemicals might be having on body weight, our sleep cycle, blood pressure, stress, libido, etc. We are prescribed drugs for related ailments at record rates. Maybe we should take a step back and treat less and prevent more.
The website is great!
Many of my friends have gone through IVF and still I was surprised by some weird parts of the story.
For example: "I was stabbed with 932 needles" and when you tap you find out "because I wanted to improve my odds, I went to 31 acupuncture appointments, where 687 needles pierced my underbelly, legs and head".
It is clearly established that acupuncture is placebo, but beyond whether this placebo might actually improve the odds (highly disputed), it is an elective alternative procedure with unclear benefit, not part of a standard IVF journey.
I understand the story is a very personal one, but it would be good to remember it isn't necessarily representative of most people's experience.
Maybe countries could tackle such problems twofold:
- first, implement a nationwide social freezing program, where women in their 20s are offered to freeze their eggs at a young age for free. Such a large-scale program would probably also improve the tech and might make egg collection less intrusive.
- combined with this program, let the women who freeze their eggs opt-in into an egg donation program, where some of their eggs can be used by women with fertility problems
But as with many things fertility, seems that modern states simply do not have the capacity to seriously try anything. Who knows why that is.
Super cool site design, I'll have to go back and look at all the other stories.
I didn't realize IVF was such a brutal process. 932 needles sounds like insanity, not to mention everything else. I'll carry a lot more compassion for those going through IVF going forward, and a lot more excitement for those able to concieve naturally.
The cure for this is spending an afternoon volunteering in a kindergarden.
> There were the 7 a.m. doctor’s appointments before work; the dozens of days working from home in order to take all my medications; and the many times I reshuffled my travel plans.
Yes I mean just wait until you have kids. It's gonna get tougher.
Beautiful but heart breaking website. I genuinely hope the author will be successful in starting a family.
My partner and I are currently going through a surrogacy process, and it's been a brutal multi year project that has had numerous setbacks. At this point we are just white knuckling our way forward.
I'm glad we as a society have these options available for those that need them, but man is it hard going through these processes.
The website looks like copied from Monument Valley games
This is a beautifully designed website. But I also think it's quite... problematic that the child's journey begins with the egg, as if the unfertilized egg is the child — and skips any mention of the sperm and the father.
It feels like this site is almost erasing the father from the IVF process.
Another good look at what IVF is really like, albeit with a really dark tinge that is not likely true in the vast majority of cases, is The Retrievals[0]. I recommend the podcast version.
What I find most incredible about it is the number of women who experienced immensely painful procedures while conscious multiple times, and went back again and again, in order to have a child. And few of them, if any, regret it.
It is simultaneously one of the most impressive feats of modern science, and one of the most unfair burdens put on any section of the populace, that they were able to, and had to.
I am a husband in an infertile pair which even needs surrogacy, so it is a horrendous journey. We've had 6 unsuccessful transfers so far - on average less than 1 a year (we have been trying since 2019), mostly on behalf of the surrogate mothers deciding to skedaddle randomly during the process. Although Covid didn't help either.
My wife regularly observes that this hell of a journey looks more taxing on me than her. Which is probably true.
This process is hard on the fathers-to-be as well. We do exist, we want to have kids, we are heartbroken each time as well. We also have to be careful not to hurt our wives' feelings when expressing our grief and sorrow.
Why not just use a surrogate instead? That's what every one of my friends who faced infertility, did.
On a related note, this is becoming a more common issue worldwide. Almost every country, even developing ones, are experiencing below replenishment birthrates. Only a few countries are spared in Central Africa, though not sure how long that will last.
https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fandd/issues/series/anal...
https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v66n4/v66n4p37.html
https://www.newsweek.com/americas-population-time-bomb-18987...
IVF is also no longer something that's only for older women. Younger couples from both sexes are starting to need it.
https://tulipivf.com/news/detail/397
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/4727738-people-need-i...
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This is a very well-done piece in a good cause, but it would have been nice for the author to acknowledge the very obvious inspiration from Monument Valley - https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 - particularly given they're asking for tips.