Stop viewing Assisted Reproductive Technology as a quick infertility solution.

Fertility: A Medical Mystery

Human understanding ​of reproduction and childbirth‌ has come a long way since God introduced labor pains in⁢ Genesis 3. Yet ⁤even⁤ after hundreds ‍of years of scientific advancements — some⁣ that are far beyond​ the ethical standards a civilized society should hold‍ — how some babies are made still remains a bit of a medical mystery.

We’ve all heard stories of couples who received ‌what appeared ⁣to be a bleak infertility diagnosis but later⁤ became pregnant ⁤without intervention. Some classify these joyous anecdotes as a mere deviation or perhaps a misdiagnosis. Others, like Texas parents Jake and Megan Gigl, say it’s a miracle.

After several‍ rounds of reproductive⁣ testing, ‌all of which came back normal, Doctors determined the ⁣Gigls had ⁣only​ close to a 3 ⁢percent chance of conceiving each month. Shortly after​ learning that⁢ news, ⁣Megan began fertility drugs designed to promote ovulation. She chose to stop the pills because “they did not help at ‍all.”

“We didn’t ‌have an answer as to ⁤what was the ⁣problem. And so everyone would say, ‘Oh, we could try this, and it ‍might up your⁢ chances a few percent,’ but month after month⁣ after month and ⁤just trying stuff like ⁢taking shots in ‍the dark really wears on you⁣ emotionally,” Megan said. ​“Every month, ​you’re like, ‘Are we pregnant?’ It ‍took ⁣a huge toll on my mental health.”

“It’s just insane⁢ to ⁤me ⁢that we​ can’t actually get a diagnosis,” Jake said.⁣ “Other than ⁤infertility, it feels like⁣ in the medical world, there’s ‍so few things where⁤ they​ can say, ‘Yeah, ‌we just ‌don’t know what that is.’ There’s always something else they​ can ⁤do.”

The Gigls also looked into using assisted reproductive technology (ART) to boost their chances of becoming ​pregnant. Their doctor, however, warned ‍them that methods like intrauterine ⁣insemination (IUI) ⁤and in vitro⁢ fertilization (IVF) weren’t the end-all solutions they are often‍ marketed to ⁣be.

“Our ⁣doctor was really candid with us. She was like, ‘Look, you can do this, but ‌it will basically increase your ⁤chances from essentially‍ zero to maybe have a 5‌ percent chance or maybe ‌have a 10 percent chance,” Jake said.

Not only were their chances of conception with IUI or IVF ‌considered low, but the​ Gigls’ one consultation with a prominent infertility specialist in their city was what Jake described as “very transactional.”

“[The doctor] walked ⁢into the ⁢room, and he had a chart that he showed us. It was basically like,⁤ ‘Hey, you’ll never⁢ have ‌kids unless I do something for you,’” Jake explained.

“During that season, us and other people were in ⁣such vulnerable states that we’re looking for a⁤ solution.⁢ If someone kind of has a god ⁣complex or whatever it ⁤is,⁣ and he’s like, ‘Oh, I⁤ can fix⁤ this‍ for you, and while I’m doing it, I’m gonna charge you ⁤an arm and a‍ leg ‍to do that,’ it’s just hard,” he added.

The Gigls had always planned to foster,⁤ so when natural conception ‌wasn’t working, they pivoted to opening up their home to children in need.

“A couple of babies⁣ came and went.‌ Then a third foster baby​ landed in​ our home, and four months later, we found that we were pregnant,” Megan said.

The Gigls said they weren’t “actively” trying to conceive, especially since they were planning to adopt⁢ their latest foster baby, but they are now living happily with ⁣two toddlers.

Fertility Is ⁢Fluid

To this day, the Gigls’ ​medical team hasn’t been able to explain⁢ why they suddenly conceived naturally after being ​unable to ⁣do so for so long. That is not an uncommon experience. The world is filled with⁣ couples who, after years of struggling with⁣ conception, suddenly find ‌themselves pregnant.

“Fertility is a continuum,” Dr. ​Kimberly Barrows, a board-certified family physician and natural family⁢ planning⁤ medical consultant practicing in Michigan, told The Federalist. “The diagnosis of infertility — ‍like absolutely infertile, no⁣ chance of conception — is very rare. Likely, [couples] do ​not actually have infertility, but what you would more accurately term ​sub-fertility.”

A June 2023 study from the University⁢ College London found that ⁣one in five women who underwent in vitro fertilization under the impression that they could never have⁣ kids on their own ended ‍up naturally ⁢conceiving later in life.

UCL researchers wondered if fertility drugs played a role in this spontaneous conception. Medical professionals⁤ across the globe, however, question whether some ⁤of those women required ART to conceive​ in the first ⁢place.

“Eighty-five percent ⁢ of couples will conceive ⁣in ⁤the⁣ first ​year. In the second year, those 15 percent⁤ who have not conceived, 50⁢ percent ⁢of them will conceive​ in the‌ next year,” Barrows said. Some⁣ scientists put ​that first number even closer to 90 percent for‍ women of‌ childbearing age.

Widespread medical consensus suggests that couples who have regular, ⁤unprotected intercourse for a ‌year but do not become​ pregnant are considered infertile. That means men⁣ and ⁤women who ⁣still have a good shot at becoming naturally pregnant‌ are often ‌prematurely deemed unable to have ⁤children and offered ‍ART as the sole​ way to begin their journey of parenthood.

It also means ​that the underlying issues affecting conception are not being properly ‌addressed.

“Infertility, while it is often⁣ given as a diagnosis, is really a symptom ⁣of another underlying medical issue,”⁣ Dr. Marguerite Duane, ⁢a board-certified family physician and co-founder and executive ‍director of the Fertility Appreciation Collaborative to Teach the Science (FACTS), told The Federalist. “To ​give women a diagnosis of⁤ infertility is doing​ them a disservice ‌because it’s not explaining⁣ why ‍they are infertile, why they⁣ are not able to conceive.”

Profitability‍ Over People?

CDC data ​ suggests that approximately one in five women (19 percent)​ find themselves without child after one year of trying. As many as 30 percent ‌of ​these so-called⁣ “infertile” ⁤couples do not have a medical explanation for⁢ why they are ‍unable to⁢ conceive.

After being handed such a daunting diagnosis,‌ wannabe parents understandably scramble to find a ‍solution. Instead of addressing the underlying issues contributing to a couple’s ⁣chances of conceiving, doctors will often recommend their patients seek⁣ solace in ART.

“I’ve​ heard from patients who say after one or two trials of a few things and maybe a small ⁣amount of blood⁢ work, they will be⁤ pushed towards IVF,” Barrows ​explained. ⁤“That’s a really common thing. I think it’s hard to know the reason behind that, but ⁣definitely, not enough research⁢ has been going into how to help these ⁢women conceive within their relationship without the use of IVF or other artificial reproductive techniques.”

In other words, ART is literally sold for thousands of dollars​ to emotionally vulnerable people ⁣as⁢ a one-size-fits-all solution for what appears to be impossible-to-overcome infertility diagnoses.

ART is expensive, plagued with moral and ethical issues, ⁢and physically⁤ taxing ‌ — by no means is it the easiest thing for patients to be prescribed. Reproductive technology such as IVF may‌ yield tens of thousands ‌of babies each year, but it’s not a foolproof way to ensure parenthood. It is,​ however,⁢ profitable for ⁢those prescribing​ it. Globally, the booming ⁣fertility industry is expected to be worth $46 billion in the ⁤next decade.

Parents ⁢like⁢ the ‌Gigls were ⁣largely ‍spared from the ART pressure after they ​switched doctors, but many infertile couples are told their only chance at children is ⁢to use artificial interventions. This can cause stress for many ‍couples, a factor that​ does play a ⁣significant role in reproductive health.

“I think that’s our temptation in our culture ⁤is if it’s more technically difficult, if it’s more complex and intricate from the technological⁤ standpoint, it must be better,” Dr. Barrows said. “But that’s not necessarily the case. ⁣And improving⁤ a ⁢woman’s health so that ⁣her cycles are more fertile and ‍her ​husband ⁣as well, helping him​ be as healthy‌ as possible, goes way farther and will help with‍ the conception of multiple children, not just‌ the one time of doing IVF, one cycle⁣ for ⁣hopefully one baby.”

Profit‍ may play a⁤ role in ART​ recommendations, but it’s also quite possible artificial methods are the only ones some medical ⁤personnel⁢ know to offer couples‌ struggling to conceive.

“In the United ⁣States, most ⁣people, and this includes most⁣ medical ​professionals, physicians, nurse​ practitioners, ‌midwives, etc.,⁤ are not familiar with restorative reproductive‌ medicine or restorative reproductive medical approaches,” Duane said.

Duane, who is trained as a Creighton medical consultant, as a NeoFertility medical⁤ consultant, and in fertility ‍education​ and medical management (FEM), not only wants patients to be educated about‍ their options after hearing​ word⁤ that natural conception might be difficult, but she also wants physicians to “focus on getting at the root cause of underlying​ reproductive health issues” and⁣ “restoring the ⁢reproductive system⁣ back to its normal function.”

Cycles fluctuate, bodies change, and⁢ circumstances can shift in a ⁣split second. ‍All of these ⁤play a ‌large role when‍ it comes time to make a baby. The last thing couples struggling with⁤ conditions that manifest⁢ as permanent infertility need is pressure⁣ to choose⁤ assisted reproductive technology that could⁣ be doing ⁢them a major ⁤moral disservice and even ⁢slowing them from⁣ discovering whether they⁤ have the ability to conceive naturally.