SCIENCE in your LIFE
LET’S MAKE A BABY
By K.S.
THE SECRET
For those who know me, know I have a daughter. She looks like me and my husband, but what many people don’t know is that she is an outcome of a successful In Vitro Fertilization procedure also known as, IVF.
Cystic Fibrosis and Reproduction
My husband has the gene mutation, DDF508, which carries the disease cystic fibrosis (CF) and is affected by the disease. Approximately ninety eight percent males with CF cannot conceive naturally. Males have sperm but do not obtain the vas deferens needed to carry the sperm. Couples need help from a urologist who works closely with the IVF clinic to physically remove sperm through a process called aspiration.
The Big Question
Why would you create another person with a genetic disease? The simple answer is, we didn’t.
Many meetings with doctors from the INSTITUTE FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH located in Cincinnati, Ohio, is when I discovered I was not a carrier of the CF gene. At the time of our meetings I had no idea what was about to be presented to me. Our doctor offered and suggested the opportunity to spin out the gene that would make her a carrier or worse, be affected by the disease. This meant our daughter or future children born from our family would no longer suffer what my husband suffers from every day. We paid the extra fee which was expensive at the time, but felt morally right for our daughters’ health and potential grandchildren.
Happily Ever After
My seven year old daughter is healthy and happy and does not carry the CF gene. We feel good about stopping the disease with my husband. The IRH clinic host reunions for patients every other year. This year we were fortunate to attend our first at the Cincinnati zoo.
Please send any questions or comments to Dr. Spitzer (spitzern@marshall.edu )
Note: Any opinions expressed in these articles are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of Dr. Spitzer, the Department of Biological Sciences, or Marshall University.