Fertility

[undercovers]

With the increasing use of IVF treatments many people who would otherwise be childless are now able to start families, do you think this artificial intervention to allow individuals to pass on their genetic material will result in an alteration of the gene pool and thus a reliance on such treatments for future generations?

[Firiffic]

I can't see how that could possibly be a logical result.  Obviously the reason for the infertility or subfertility would effect any gene pool alteration.  As infertility, subfertility or other conception problems are as varied as the individuals that persue IVF there can be no definitive effect on future generations fertility.  My husband is unable to impregnate me due to a lack of number of sperm as well as the quality of some of that sperm and their motility.  The likely reason for this has been thinned down to two.  Either because his mother was a long term smoker and smoked through her pregnancies and he is the youngest and she was in her early 40's when he was born or he contracted mumps in possibly his early puberty.  If we had undergone IVF obviously only good sperm would have been picked therefore only good genes would be passed on.

[undercovers]

genetically someone can be predisposed toward fertility problems - if they then have children through whatever means then the gene associated with this condition is passed on to future generations. Over a very long period of time the instances of people requiring fertility treatment would then surely go up? Am I being stupid or missing something? (additionally i do not think that by choosing health sperm they will only choose health dna, i believe the process is more complex than that)

[Firiffic]

I think that you are placing far too much weight on infertility being from a genetic cause.  There are many, many causes for infertility and subfertility and often another persons sperm or ova are used in the IVF process which would make your theory negligible.  Also the human ability to reproduce has always been statistically remarkable.  Therefore genetic problems such as the few that cause infertility are unlikely to take over the human population even with IVF.  Also dna selection is becoming more and more common in the selection of sperm and ova.

[jimmy654]

Infertility is rarely genetic