Stem cells are one thing

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 06:45:42 -0700

Salon - By Lynn Harris - Jun. 08 (Opinion) - We tend to think of stem cell research in terms of its potential to help prevent adult disease. According to Liza Mundy in yesterday's Washington Post, its cousin, embryo research, is also "important to the health of mothers and infants." And, actually, to the health of embryos themselves. Here's the problem. Doctors performing in-vitro fertilization, Mundy writes, "have no reliable way of telling which embryo [created outside the womb] has the crucial ability to develop into a fetus." Result No. 1: To improve the odds of pregnancy, they routinely implant more than one embryo. Result No. 2: More than half of IVF babies are twins, triplets or more -- they're therefore major players in the "stunning escalation" of multiple births nationwide. So what? Multiples, Mundy points out, are more likely to come with complications risky to both babies and mother.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

NewsTrust - Stem Cell Research - Most Recent Stories: Opinion (Independent)

Stem cells are one thing