Report: Most U.S. Fertility Clinics ‘Not’ Following Guidelines

The case of the Octuplets mom Nadya Suleman has not only put a spotlight on the new buzzword, “baby addiction,” but on fertility clinics as well.

The Associated Press reports that less than 20% of fertility clinics in the U.S. actually follow proper procedure, specifically in terms of how many embryos should be implanted in a woman at a time.
Interestingly, the guidelines, which for example suggest implanting no more than 2 embryos per treatment for women under 35, are strictly voluntary in the United States. The AP reveals that although laws have been passed which regulate fertility clinics in Western Europe, the only consequences in the U.S. is expulsion from the industry’s recognized organizations.

Pamela Madsen, founder and former head of the American Fertility Association, tells the news service:  “You have patients who are desperate and you have doctors who are driven by success rates. It's not a good combination.”

IVF procedures and Europe:
The AP report reveals that multiple birth numbers are lower due to the laws in place there. In Sweden, 70% of implanting procedures include just one embryo. Only 11% of procedures done in the U.S. involve one embryo.

Another interesting difference between Europe and the U.S. is that insurance covers IVF treatments there – but not in most states. According to the AP, the average cost of a single IVF treatment is $12,400.

Read the full story here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090221/ap_on_he_me/med_octuplets_clinics

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