Derek EloyA Spanish boy, just a few days old, is the first European baby born since pregnancy of two mothers. This is a couple of lesbians who chose this technique. INVOcell bring their child into the world, as they believed that this was what allowed them both to participate more actively in bearing the child.
Although the C-section birth was somewhat challenging because the baby was placed in a breech position, everything went well and Derek Eloy is a healthy baby. But to what extent was this decision risky? Could INVOcell technology be the future? Assisted reproduction? And, what is also very important, is it worth resorting to?
It should be noted that this method, which involves inserting a kind of incubator into the vagina, first pregnant womanvery common in countries like USA. However, this has not yet caught on in Europe. Its price varies from one clinic to another, but it is not much higher than fertilization in vitro (ECO) use. Therefore, you might think that there are other disadvantages that prevent experts from recommending it. And the truth is that they exist, although not excessively.
Options in assisted reproduction
INVOcell was not originally designed to achieve pregnancy in two mothers. Its original goal was always to make mothers through assisted reproductive technology participants in the process from the first moment.
There are many methods of assisted reproduction. When artificial insemination, Sperm from the couple or donor is placed in the recipient’s uterus. It is used, for example, in women with anatomical problems that prevent sperm from entering the egg. But also for women without a partner who produces sperm or when sperm quality bad couple.
In these cases, fertilization occurs in the recipient’s body from the first moment. However, with methods related to fertilization in vitro, an embryo that has already begun to develop is transferred. Therefore, a very small part beginning of pregnancy.
With IVF, fertilization occurs. in the laboratory. Typically this can happen in two ways. Either by directly bringing the sperm into contact with the egg so that they fertilize it themselves, or by facilitating the process by directly injecting the sperm into the egg. The latter method is known as sperm microinjection or ICSI.
Once fertilization has occurred, embryologists check that everything went well and transfer the fertilized egg to an incubator in which daily observation check the cell number and morphology of the embryo as it develops. The one that is selected as the most suitable is transferred to the uterus in day 5 development and, if there are others that are viable, they are frozen or vitrified.
Case INVOcell
What is done with INVOcell is to carry out the previous incubation for five days in a device that is inserted into the vagina. This device contains sperm and eggs. Usually two eggs to get them maximum two embryos. After the first five days, the gynecologist removes the device and checks whether fertilization has occurred. He then selects the most viable embryo and transfers it to the uterus. Usually this transfer is carried out to the same woman. However, in case lesbian couples, can be done with the other part of the pair. So in a certain sense pregnancy of two mothers.
Can we really talk about two mothers carrying a child?
Pregnancy is a process that comes from fertilization before the baby is born. As for fertilization, this is the name for the union of a sperm with an egg, fusion with it and the formation of an egg. zygotewhich divides to form an embryo and develops as a fetus until it is born.
This natural fertilization occurs in Fallopian tubes. After this, the zygote descends and divides until implant in the uterus approximately on the 6th day. All this time he is in contact with the mother’s body, inside her reproductive system.
However, with INVOcell, fertilization occurs inside a device that is inserted through the vagina and placed on the cervix. It is not found in queen traps and has no direct contact with the reproductive system. Therefore, it would be difficult to say that Derek Eloy was born from the pregnancy of two mothers. After all, the first one was not quite pregnant
But this is terminology for now. Yeah helps psychologically For a couple to think that they both had a hand in carrying the child, there is no reason to stop doing so. However, it should be taken into account that INVOcell has some limitations and should at least be well aware of them before resorting to this technique.
Disadvantages of INVOcell
There are several disadvantages to using INVOcell. One of them is that care must be taken when handling so that avoid infectionsand it’s difficult regulate temperature the same as in a laboratory incubator.
To avoid sudden temperature changes, the receiver You should not have sex, take hot baths or engage in intense exercise.. But even then, there may be fluctuations that are difficult to control.
Another significant disadvantage is that embryonic development cannot be controlled. After IVF embryologists They control cell division day after day. embryo, thanks to cameras installed in incubators. Thus, when deciding which embryo will be transferred, more than just its final appearance is taken into account. And also the evolution that happened day after day.
This cannot be done with INVOcell, so there is a high chance that the pregnancy will not go well or even something will happen. chromosomal changes.
Beyond Pregnancy of Two Mothers
In the case of couples consisting of two people with a uterus, two ways usually work. Good with one artificial insemination simple, in which the donor’s sperm is introduced directly into the uterus of one of the two sides of the couple or through the ROPA. This is an IVF method that uses donor sperm and eggs from one of the two sides of the couple, but embryo transfer done with another. This way, both can actively participate in their child’s development. However, pregnancy occurs in one body.
Derek Eloy’s mothers, Estefania and Azahara, wanted to share everything, including the pregnancy. It would be more difficult for Estefania to go through pregnancy, as he has to control his diet very carefully due to previous stomach surgery. Therefore, it was decided that she would only carry for five days and Azahara would spend the rest of the pregnancy.
A happy ending
Azahara had to have a caesarean section, but she recovered well. In short, the birth of the first baby born in Europe after two mothers’ first pregnancies is a happy ending to a curious application of a somewhat controversial technique. And, although most of the questions we asked ourselves at the beginning have already been answered, there is one more that is difficult to answer. Is it really worth it?
Spending five days in a device inside a woman’s cervix will have little effect on the embryo, other than the disadvantages mentioned. Psychologically it can help, but nothing more. Therefore, it may be necessary to evaluate each case. After all, the love that this woman will definitely give to her baby makes her a mother a thousand times more than the one who carries him at home for five days. Even more so than a woman who carries a child for nine months and then neglects it properly.
Source: Hiper Textual
