Workshop “Management of Infertility Today”
During the XVIII General Assembly of Members (23-25 February 2012), a Workshop, open to the public, was held on the topic of: Management of Infertility Today.
Knowing that infertility affects population of both industrialized (15%) and developing countries (9-30%) and considering the suffering it causes to the couples, the Academy for Life challenged the scientists to share their knowledge in looking for new alternatives of treatment that would give more hope to infertile couples.
Scholars chosen from best international experts were encouraged to go beyond the mere management of symptoms to the real treatment of infertility. They were asked to map the current diagnostic and therapeutic options of true causes of infertility, in order to create a stepping-stone on the path toward permanent solutions.
Interview with H.E. Most Reverend Msgr. Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, President of the Pontifical
Academy for Life
1. Why is the Pontifical Academy for Life organizing a workshop regarding
infertility?
There are basically two reasons. On the one hand, the Academy wants to contribute to the efforts of slowing down the proliferation of infertility, i.e. the incapacity which often destroys the just desire for paternity and maternity for many couples causing strong delusions, frustration, desperation and even unnecessary feelings of guilt. On the other hand, we would like to provide information on the recent developments in prevention and the treatment of this problem, as well as, do a comparative analysis - in terms of both cost and efficiency – between the authentically therapeutic interventions and the so-called procedures of artificial fertilization and reproduction. Speaking of that, I think it needs to be emphasized that this workshop is not dealing with ethical considerations of artificial fertilization: that's a different subject. Our concern is rigorously medical and scientific: it is the research and divulgation of efficient, but insufficiently known methods of infertility diagnosis and treatment - in order to provide hope to infertile couples.
2. How would you contextualize this workshop within the framework of the
Academy for Life’s other similar initiatives?
The Academy exists in order to offer a positive scientific and cultural contribution to the questions regarding human life - both those causing anxieties and those giving rise to hope. Some of the other projects we are currently working on belong to this perspective as well: a study on "post-abortion trauma", which, we hope, could become a contribution for those working on the field of giving assistance to people who went through this terrible experience. And still another study, on "umbilical cord banks", was launched with the purpose of explaining the real possibilities of using cord stem cells - emphasizing the approaches that could become reasonable therapeutic perspectives distinct from those that only give illusionary hopes.
3. Who are the experts participating in this workshop?
The Academy studies various questions with rigorous respect for the scientific method. This also means that the experts we ask to participate are chosen from the most qualified specialists on the given matter: through their work and publications, they all must have provided proofs of their methods' objectivity and intellectual honesty. The Experts who will participate in this workshop come from different countries and are chosen according to these criteria.
4. Will this workshop bring out new issues?
The principal news we aspire to spread will probably regard the area of public opinion: we are hoping to set a new equilibrium regarding the spread of information on the possibilities of infertility management. From a strictly scientific point of view, it will be very significant if we can generate a higher awareness of the available infertility solutions that remain true to the scope of Hippocratic medicine.
5. Are the contributions of the workshop going to be published?
One of our objectives is to share the results of our work with the scientific community on the world-wide level. However, we also promote the diffusion of information among non-experts. As it has been said, the purpose of the Academy's existence is both scientific and cultural. At the moment, we are contacting one scientifically specialized magazine of international prestige: most likely, they will dedicate a special issue to this workshop.
6. In what ways are you going to continue to develop this initiative?
It is obvious that we are not starting a project of this size only to confine it to an archive. Various ways to continue are being examined. Just to give you an example: it is possible that this workshop will create a network of different research centers and encourage the exchange of young researchers offering richer formation and experience.
TEXT OF AN ARTICLE ON THE SUBJECT OF ABORTION PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH ON JULY 23, 2011 ON THE JAPANESE NEWSPAPER YOMIURI SHINBUN
""The number of abortions of embryos and fetuses believed to have been carried out after abnormalities were discovered during prenatal examinations doubled in the 10 years from 2000, compared to the previous 10 years, a survey has revealed.
Ultrasound scanning in recent years can detect chromosomal abnormalities and other abnormalities in the early stages of pregnancy, when abortions are relatively safe.
According to the survey, carried out by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 11,706 embryos and fetuses were aborted from 2000 to 2009 on indications that they were affected by Down syndrome, fetal hydrops--abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdomen or chest--and other serious conditions. The number is 2.2 times more than the 5,381 abortions carried out for such reasons from 1990 to 1999.
The survey's results were compiled by Fumiki Hirahara, a professor at Yokohama City University and director of the university's ICBDSR (International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research).
The survey covered about 330 childbirth facilities across this country, which handle 10 percent of the more than 1 million deliveries each year.
Response rates differ each year--from 25 percent to 40 percent--but Hirahara used the results to calculate the number that a 100 percent response rate would have revealed.
The Maternity Protection Law does not permit embryos and fetuses to be aborted due to abnormalities. Instead, these abnormalities are broadly interpreted as conditions that could harm pregnant women.
Hirahara said, "Abortions related to chromosomal abnormalities have been increasing partly because women are becoming pregnant at later ages."
The survey's results were to be publicized at a meeting of The Japanese Teratology Society that opened in Tokyo on Friday.
Kunio Tamai, chairman of Japan Down Syndrome Society, said: "I don't know how the abortions are decided, but ultrasound scanning seems to be the main technique used to determine whether unborn children are suffering from Down syndrome."
Prenatal examinations are conducted to detect chromosomal and genetic abnormalities of embryos and fetuses. Various techniques are used, including amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling to detect chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, and blood tests of pregnant women to determine the possibility of embryo and fetus abnormalities, in addition to ultrasound scanning.
Sufficient explanation needed
by Akihiko Kano / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
The increase of abortions based on the results of prenatal examinations partly stems from improved ultrasound scanning, which detects abnormalities in the early stages of pregnancy.
Most pregnant women undergo prenatal examinations, as they are safe.
Amniocentesis, meanwhile, is rather risky as amniotic fluid is removed from a pregnant woman's womb, resulting in miscarriage or stillbirth in 0.5 percent of cases. Therefore, only about 1.2 percent of pregnant women undergo the procedure.
Recently, it has been learned that if nuchal translucency (NT), which is a swelling on the back of the neck of an embryo or fetus, is found by ultrasound scanning to be above a certain thickness, they could suffer from chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome, or a heart disease.
However, in many cases there are no problems, even though NTs are found to be rather thick. NTs sometimes shrink as embryos and fetuses grow.
Pregnant women should be given detailed explanations of these procedures and receive consultations on genetic inheritance. If they hear from doctors that the embryo or fetus has some kind of abnormality and decide to have an abortion, it is a serious problem.
Many pregnant women believe incorrectly that ultrasound scanning is conducted so that they can see their babies' faces before they are born.
Some people say abortions based on embryo and fetus abnormalities are a moral matter determining the life or death of newborns and should not be carried out.
Doctors must give pregnant women accurate prenatal information.""
(July 23, 2011)