Is Dr. Melissa Walker Too Old To Have A Baby?
Having gone to medical school for four years following her graduation from college, Dr. Melissa Walker postponed her life, always too busy for starting a family or even for finding the right person to share her life. She followed medical school with four years of surgery residency, and spent two years after that specializing in surgery on the hand. Yes, it was a long, arduous journey for Dr. Walker, but she finally made it! She had become a top-level orthopedic surgeon, fighting all the odds of a very specialized field, mostly closed for women doctors. It took a lot of hard work and self-sacrifice.
Dr. Walker had been a partner in a very reputable Sports Medicine Clinic for the past ten years. Then, the surprise of her life happened. While on a vacation in Santa Fe, she met the love of her life. His name was Michael Langford, and he worked at a publishing company as chief editor. They had a quick courtship and were married within almost six months of having met. Melissa's life was finally complete-a supportive partner whom she adored and who adored her. The man respected her profession and was willing to move to where she was currently in practice. It was the ideal situation.
However, a few years passed, and Michael felt that he wanted to have children in his life. Neither Melissa nor Michael had been married previously and had no offspring. The problem was her age! By now, Melissa was at the height of her career and was
53 years old! She was earning enough money to be more than comfortable in life. Although she had not passed through menopause yet, she knew the problems associated with maternal age and incidence of genetic mutations such as Down syndrome. She was physically healthy and had no chronic problems. She watched her weight and exercised on a regular basis. She was in top physical condition.
What We Need to Know
Since money was no object for the couple, they decided to participate in the newer technologies in infertility which had been available for a few years. Also, Melissa had all the right medical connections to make their wish for having a child possible. The couple needed to ask themselves several serious questions, however, before embarking on a journey destined to alter their lives drastically.
What We Need to Know
The new technology that is available for older couples these days includes using donor eggs from a younger female, mixed with the father's sperm and implanted into the mother's uterus. It is possible to give a post menopausal female hormones to ready the uterus for implantation. One problem with the implantation technique is that women who undergo the procedure are having multiple births. This is due to the fact that more than one egg is fertilized and implanted so that the chances of producing a baby are increased.
What We Need to Know
Assignment
Research other techniques such as cloning, cytoplasmic transfer, nuclear transfer, cryogenic techniques for preserving eggs, sperm, and embryos. Write a reaction paper to the technologies. Include your scientific way of thinking, then comment about the ethical considerations.
Find out about the costs of the techniques listed above. Write a brief statement defending whether these procedures should be covered by insurance companies. Should only the rich be able to produce babies using new technology?
Pretend that you are Dr. Walker's best friend. Give her advice to help her decide whether to go ahead with the procedure or not.
Newman, Judith. 2000. How old is too old to have a baby? Discover Magazine. April, pp.60-67.