{"id":79,"date":"2018-12-24T17:28:17","date_gmt":"2018-12-24T17:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/puah.duvys.media\/articles\/?p=79"},"modified":"2024-11-28T14:27:48","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T14:27:48","slug":"in-vitro-fertilization-ivf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.puahfertility.org\/articles\/in-vitro-fertilization-ivf\/","title":{"rendered":"In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)"},"content":{"rendered":"
A number of medical techniques exist that help infertile couples have a child. One of these techniques is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). What is this technique, what does it involve and what are the\u00a0halachic\u00a0<\/em>issues that need to be considered?<\/h6>\n
Defining In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)<\/span><\/h6>\n
If IUI has been performed several times without success, or in cases where IUI is not an option, either due to age, quality of sperm, or blocked fallopian tubes, the best treatment is in vitro fertilization (IVF). In IVF, the meeting between sperm and egg takes place outside of the body, in the fertility laboratory (\u201cvitro\u201d means glass in Latin, referring to the material of a test tube).<\/p>\n

The woman receives hormonal stimulation using shots, and she is monitored the optimum time for her egg retrieval. She then receives a final injection and 36 hours later comes to the clinic for the retrieval. At this time the sperm is also brought to the lab. The sperm sample is obtained through the\u00a0method already described\u00a0using the condom. The eggs are then extracted from the woman’s ovary using a long needle inserted through the vagina.<\/p>\n

The eggs and sperm are then either left together a\u00a0Petri dish\u00a0to fertilize together, or sperm cells are injected into the egg in a process called\u00a0intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The following day the eggs are monitored to see whether they have fertilized; the next day a number of fertilized eggs are implanted in the uterus. Usually, the treatment also includes drugs for the woman to increase the likelihood of successful implantation.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the eggs will be left until the fifth day, until a stage of development called the\u00a0blastocyst\u00a0and will then be implanted. Two weeks later a pregnancy test is performed to see whether a pregnancy has been achieved.<\/p>\n

The entire process requires\u00a0outside supervision. The outside supervisor is present throughout.<\/h6>\n

Halachic Considerations: Niddah<\/span><\/h6>\n
The actual egg retrieval does not usually render a woman a\u00a0niddah<\/em>\u00a0as the bleeding comes form the vagina, not the uterus. If there was abnormal bleeding a\u00a0Rav\u00a0<\/em>should be consulted. Implantation should also not make a woman\u00a0niddah<\/em>, as the bleeding is usually cervical and not uterine. Again, when in doubt a\u00a0Rav\u00a0<\/em>should be consulted.<\/p>\n

Whenever possible, all efforts should be made to administer the hormone treatment prior to the IVF in such a way that the woman will not ovulate before her immersion in the\u00a0mikveh<\/em>. If despite all these efforts the ovulation occurs before the\u00a0mikveh<\/em>, then there is nevertheless no\u00a0halachic\u00a0<\/em>problem with taking out the eggs; the sperm sample can be retrieved using the same method referred to above.<\/p>\n

If the implantation falls before the\u00a0mikveh<\/em>, then it is better to delay this treatment and only afterwards to implant the fertilized eggs, as there are opinions that implanting the eggs before the\u00a0mikveh\u00a0<\/em>will make the child a\u00a0ben niddah<\/em>. However, many\u00a0poskim\u00a0<\/em>disagree and rule that where it is essential, the eggs can be implanted before the\u00a0mikveh<\/em>.<\/h6>\n

Halachic Considerations: Be fruitful<\/span><\/h6>\n
While the commandment of being \u201cfruitful and multiply\u201d is of foremost importance the question arises as to whether this requirement is fulfilled by having children or by fathering them only in the regular \u201cnatural\u201d way, in which case having children born through insemination or in vitro fertilization would not be a fulfilment of this halachic requirement. This question of whether one fulfils their obligation to \u201cbe fruitful and multiply\u201d through IUI or IVF has been debated widely by different\u00a0poskim<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Many poskim do accept that any child born through IUI or IVF fulfils the obligation of having children.<\/p>\n

It is clear, though, that most couples do not have children simply to fulfill their\u00a0halachic\u00a0<\/em>obligation, but as they have an existential need to have children, and as previously stated, this is of supreme importance when counselling couples in this area.<\/h6>\n

Summary<\/span>
\nThe methods used in IVF are\u00a0halachically\u00a0<\/em>acceptable;\u00a0 any questions that arise during the process should be directed to a competent\u00a0Rav<\/em>. While some\u00a0poskim\u00a0<\/em>question the\u00a0halachic\u00a0<\/em>status of a child thus conceived, most rule that the parents do fulfill the commandment to be fruitful and multiply through IVF.<\/h6>\n
<\/h6>\n
1. Responsa Chelkat Yaakov Even HaEzer 12.<\/sup><\/h6>\n
2. See Deuteronomy 25:5-10.<\/sup><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A number of medical techniques exist that help infertile couples have a child. One of these techniques is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). What is this technique, what does it involve and what are the\u00a0halachic\u00a0issues that need to be considered? Defining In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) If IUI has been performed several times without success, or in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puahfertility.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puahfertility.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puahfertility.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puahfertility.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puahfertility.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.puahfertility.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105,"href":"https:\/\/www.puahfertility.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79\/revisions\/105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puahfertility.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puahfertility.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puahfertility.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}