Rant

The other day, we were at the bookstore, and I saw the cover of some trashy magazine or other talking about how B.rad Pit.t and Ang.elin.a J.olie had their twins through IVF. I picked it up and read the article, and it just ticked me off!

Of course, all the information came from anonymous "sources close to the couple" and junk like that, so who knows how accurate it is. According to the article, they tried IVF because they didn't have the time to try to conceive any other way. Umm . . . OK. And then it went on about the chances of success being about 42% in any given cycle (umm . . . where's that number coming from? Is that pregnancies? Births? It's awfully high compared to the other stats I've seen), and quoted some IDIOT doctor (who--guess what--does IVF) as saying that across three cycles, a woman in her thirties has better than 100% chance! Someone teach that man about probabilities! You don't just multiply by three! And there's no such thing as GREATER than 100% probability!

All in all, the article gave this sort of breezy portrayal of IVF as a sure thing. Now, for us, the Catholic Church's teaching means that IVF isn't an option. But I know enough to know it isn't a sure thing, and I know it's certainly not a breezy thing for the people who go through it. This article is just feeding the misinformation that's out there

Of course, I also have issues about the RE who scoffed at our "backward" religious beliefs (no, he didn't say that, but it was pretty clear) and didn't want to do any diagnosis beyond determining whether I was ovulating and my tubes were open (that would be a yes and a no, by the way). So, I really wish there was more information out there in the mainstream about treatments for the various causes of infertility. And about fertility in general! Our local diocese is one of the few in the country (I think when we got married it was one of two or three) that requires engaged couples to learn a method of Natural Family Planning before getting married. To me, it only makes sense that if the Church teaches that this is the only form of family planning that can be used in a licit way (did I phrase that properly?), then the Church should make sure people are properly educated about it--especially since it's such a counter-cultural approach, and not something even most Catholics would seek out if they didn't have to. I came away from that class knowing so much more about how my body works than I ever had before. And it made me mad! I was really happy to be learning it, but frustrated to no end that I was learning about my body IN MY LATE 20s!

So, I did say this would be a rant! It just really annoys me that people like that stupid doctor are running around telling people--who then quote them in a major magazine--that IVF carries a certainty of bringing home a baby. Just like the businesses with the 20-packs of OPKs that "expire" in 30 days, he's preying on people's lack of information and desire to be parents. That's not OK.