Do children conceived by the IVF method differ from the usual ones, and what consequences may arise in the future?

Children from the "tube" today - not uncommon. In connection with the increase in the number of in vitro fertilization, such children will not surprise anyone. IVF is sometimes the only way to overcome family infertility and become parents. However, even very loving and reverent mothers and fathers, as well as future parents, who are still in need of IVF, face many myths and prejudices. Whether children of IVF are different from ordinary babies conceived in a natural way, you will learn by reading this article.

To understand what they are, babies IVF, you need to start from the very conception. In the natural conception of the mother's egg, the father’s spermatozoon is found in the wide part of the fallopian tube, and from there the fertilized egg enters the uterus within 7–9 days after fertilization. When IVF conception is carried out outside the maternal body. An egg taken from a woman is fertilized in the laboratory with the father’s sperm cell. Then the embryo (or more often, several embryos) is placed in the uterus, providing the expectant mother with accompanying hormone therapy, so that the conditions for the development of the babies are close to the real, natural.

If the embryo survives, the further course of the pregnancy after IVF is not much different from the natural one, except that the woman is more closely followed by medical supervision. The risks of miscarriage, hormonal disorders, multiple pregnancies, premature births and pathologies of the placenta are quite high.

Many believe that IVF is contrary to the laws of nature. If she has not provided for a man or a woman to reproduce her own kind, then (according to opponents of IVF), doctors are not entitled to interfere. There is practically nothing to oppose this view, except that the happy eyes of the spouses, who become parents despite the diagnoses.

At birth, children of IVF are no different from their peers, conceived naturally: neither by weight, nor height, nor by the size of body parts. These are the same little ones who want parental love and affection, who rejoice at her mother's smile and father's hands. If conception occurs in the same way, but in different conditions, then where did the myths about the "cute" kids come from?

The fact is that humanity at all times has been able to mystify everything new and incomprehensible. IVF exists only 40 years old, which in the scale of history is comparable with only a second. There is nothing surprising in the fact that children conceived in a test tube are considered a miracle, an anomaly, and even evil. It is just that too little time has passed to understand what are people conceived in opposition to nature.

The first IVF was conducted in 1978. A British girl, Lisa Brown, was born. Now she is 40 years old, she received a good education, made a career, gave birth (having conceived naturally) children. She is no different from her peers, does not suffer from rare diseases, does not show any abnormal abilities.

In the USSR, the first IVF was done in Moscow in 1986. The girl Elena Dontsova is also not much different from the others.In total in the world at the beginning of 2018 there are more than five million people conceived in a test tube.

Since the beginning of the 2000s, the state has begun to financially support the in-vitro fertilization program. IVF was added to the list of insurance medicine services, and now the procedure is available for everyone. That is why more and more children are born who owe their birth to the work of fertility doctors.

So, IVF is quite normal for modern society. We now turn to those myths that concern children conceived in a test tube.

Many religions are ambiguous about IVF. In Orthodoxy, for example, it is considered that the baby’s soul appears almost immediately, at the moment of the merger of the egg and sperm. In vitro fertilization, in which the doctor chooses only the highest quality material from several fertilized eggs, is regarded by Orthodoxy as murder. The doctor with the consent of the parents, according to the Russian Orthodox Church, kills the life that originated.

Not long ago, parents who had the imprudence to inform the priest that the child was conceived by IVF, could have difficulty baptizing the baby. The priests could have refused it. Now the attitude of the church has softened somewhat and sometimes the priests themselves bless a couple for reproductive technologies. The church still does not approve of surrogate motherhood, the use of donor eggs and sperm, as well as the artificial selection of the strongest embryos from several living ones.

Islam has nothing against IVF, but requires its followers not to use the services of a surrogate mother, not to use donor biomaterial. In IVF protocol, only cells of the husband and wife should be used. Muslims believe that the soul comes and moves into the child only 4 months after fertilization, and therefore Islam does not condemn the artificial selection and culling of embryos.

Jews believe what for reproduction any methods are good and justified. For IVF, the attitude is calm, balanced, and surrogate motherhood is accepted and approved in certain cases. Buddhists always welcome all innovations, including in the reproductive sphere. It is possible to give life (as understood by the adherents of Buddhism) in any way, the main thing is that parents love a child, and he himself came to this world as desired and happy.

People who claim that children conceived in the process of IVF have no soul, that they have a different aura, a different energy, are deeply mistaken. Some witches were ready to declare a "witch-hunt" at all times, and their "victims" are usually those who are at least something different from themselves. The only difference between the "ekoshnyh" babies is in the way they are conceived, and aura and energy are flimsy arguments of those who cannot think of anything else.

The babies that appeared after IVF are in no way biorobots, or androids, humanoid creatures that are not devoid of emotions and feelings. They are exactly the same children as everyone else, and therefore it’s not worthwhile to mystify their birth.

For a long time, it was believed that children born through reproductive technologies are more likely to have problems with conception in adulthood. Fear of infertility is not worth it. The first "kennel" children, who are now 30-40 years old, by their example showed that they can have offspring. Conception occurs quite naturally.

The fact is that most couples have infertility, which is an indication for extracorporeal fertilization, acquired. In other words - a man or woman has lost fertility under the influence of some diseases, negative impacts, infections or injuries. They were born with normal reproductive potential.

The spermatozoon and egg cell carry genetic information that reflects the main characteristics. It is possible to believe that IVF-child will be fruitless only if the spouse has a congenital genetic anomaly as a cause of infertility. Such anomalies are rare. In addition, a geneticist will definitely warn about IVF about them, and the procedure can be performed using a donor biomaterial.

For some reason, it is believed that the long-term effects of IVF for the child and his parents are also in the peculiarities of the baby’s health status. Opponents of reproductive health care unanimously state the following: what is conceived against the will of God and nature cannot be healthy. Proponents of IVF claim that the pre-selection of embryos for replanting - this is the factor that almost guarantees the birth of a healthy child, because abnormal embryos simply "sifted out" at the initial stage.

You can argue indefinitely. Most likely, the debates of the two parties will continue for more than a dozen years. It is worth referring to medical statistics. In childhood, "ekoshniki" are ill along with their peers, conceived naturally. All the typical "childhood" disease they occur. These are usually viral infections, ENT diseases, allergic diseases.

Congenital anomalies in children with IVF are 45% less common than in children conceived naturally. This is the merit of pre-implantation selection.

With regard to the characteristics of development, the children born with the help of fertility doctors, are not much different from their peers. Psychologists in this matter practically do not disagree: there are no problems with emotional and mental development. If there are deviations, then they are found with the same frequency in ordinary guys. After IVF, babies are more likely to be more developed, because they are always long-awaited and desired children, they are paid more attention, they do not come into the world by chance. This means that attention and development in the family are guaranteed to them.

It is difficult to estimate the lifespan of the "eco-friendly" kids. Too little time has passed, and the first such children are only 40 years old. They are alive, healthy, and what will happen next - time will tell. The features of the aging of such people, acquired "senile" diseases, the most common causes of mortality, are still unknown.

This statement is true, but only half. For one spouse, this child will be native in blood and genes. It should be noted that the consequences of fertilization with the use of donor material of the spouses are warned in advance. Only they themselves can decide whether they are ready to raise a baby by only 50% of their own blood. It should be noted that this fact does not stop many.

The medical recommendation itself to use donor material is quite rare. Most often they try to use oocytes and sperm spouses. Donation is offered to a woman only as a last resort: if she does not have ovaries, if she does not have her own eggs.

In men, even with severe forms of infertility, spermatozoa usually do not remain without a genetic set. They can lose mobility, be unviable, but the head of the sperm carries the most important - genetic material. If necessary, it is extracted and injected into the egg. Donor sperm is needed only in 1% of cases.

During pregnancy with IVF, the risks of miscarriage and the truth is somewhat higher than that of women who conceived on their own, but modern medicine may well cope with the task of preserving and prolonging the gestation period.

In order to increase the likelihood of pregnancy, several embryos are injected into the uterus during IVF. That is why in 45% of cases after a successful IVF, parents receive not one baby, but two or three karapuz at once. It can be said that the probability of multiple pregnancy is the only effect associated with IVF itself.

"Ekosnye" babies are often born prematurely. With multiple pregnancies is the absolute norm. In pregnancy, one fetus delivery usually occurs in periods from 37 to 39 weeks.

If all of the above is not convinced and you want some more arguments and evidence, then you can try to find "10 differences" between ordinary children of your friends and children of celebrities conceived in the laboratory. Here is just a small list of moms who have done IVF and raising such children:

• Julia Roberts - actress;
• Christina Orbakaite - singer and actress (IVF was with Mikhail Zemtsov);
• Alla Pugacheva - singer (IVF married to Maxim Galkin);
• Zhanna Friske - singer (IVF with Dmitry Shepelev);
• Julia Dzherbinova - actress (IVF married to Yevgeny Dyatlov);
• Elena Borshcheva - actress, presenter, KVN-shchitsa.

According to reviews of parents who raise children after conception in a test tube, their babies are even slightly ahead of the calendar developmental norms. They quickly learn to walk, talk, they are very inquisitive. In adolescence, these children are not much different from their peers, they are characterized by all the same experiences, throwing, the period of formation.

The only question to which the “ekoshny” children could not find the answer to moms and dads is whether to inform the child when he grows up in which way he was conceived. Moms are especially apprehensive about the “benevolent” distant relatives and neighbors, who can “solely out of good intentions” tell a little family secret to an older child.

If a woman and a man decide for themselves that they are ready for IVF, if the procedure was successful and the babies are already in the womb, if the children are already born and grow up in a family, there is no need to look for differences from other children. Love and accept your children as they are. Appreciate every minute spent together, because life is not so long, and the period of childhood is completely transient. How your child grows up does not depend on the way he is conceived, but on the upbringing and the love you can give him.

About what children conceived with IVF, different from ordinary children, see the following video.