Oct 20, 2009

The Gift of Life, and Its Price on Healthcare and future generations

It is not the price we pay, it is the price we make them pay that I question...

The Fertilization bomb on our healthcare system
...the dramatic rise in the birth of twins among women 45-49 shows the increased risk of preterm birth and low birth weight that comes with multiple births and the cost of taking care of premature babies (almost $51,000 versus under $5,000 for a baby born at term):

1

New York Times article on the topic

Population control FAIL ... John and Kate plus tons

Of the 54,656 infants born through Assisted Reproductive Technology, 48% were multiple-birth deliveries.

The risk for a multiple-birth delivery was highest for
women who underwent ART transfer procedures that used fresh embryos from either donor eggs (39%) or their own eggs (31%). Approximately 1% of U.S. infants born in 2006 were conceived through ART.

Those infants accounted for 18% of multiple births nationwide.
Approximately 9% of ART singletons, 57% of ART twins, and 96% of ART triplets or higher-order multiples were low birthweight. Similarly, 14% of ART singletons, 65% of ART twins, and 97% of ART triplets or higher-order multiples were born preterm.

Read more from source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (CDC) via docuticker