15 Times The Charm

A couple who have spent ten years attempting to conceive have finally given birth to a healthy daughter, Olivia.

After spending a whopping £64,000 on 15 attempts at IVF treatment over the ten painful years, a number of ethical questions have yet again been raised regarding interferance with fertility.

Any "normal" woman, although devastated, would most likely give up on the IVF treatment after a few failed attempts, and generally, if successful, a baby is created on the 5th or 6th attempt. Because the new parents, Delina and Simon Tree, had only a 15% chance of conceiving before her final attempt at IVF, should doctors really have proceeded with this knowledge in mind?

Generally, public opinion conveyed congratulations to the Tree family for the courage and dedication that was shown. And if somebody is willing to pay the not-so-cheap fee of £4000 for every single attempt, then surely they are entitled to give it a go. However, many doctors advise otherwise for a reason.

Many desperate wannabe-mothers will of course go to extensive lengths for the child they long for. But by allowing Mrs. Tree to stack up a bill of £64,000, doctors may have been giving her false hope. Of course, on this occasion, the patient was fortunate enough to eventually conceive. But what if she didn't? How far would doctors have let her go? 16 attempts? 20?

The fact that she even re-mortaged her home in order to pay for the treatment shows the extreme anxoiusness she possessed in order to become a mother, and although doctors are unlikely to turn down business, should they not have taken her previous attempts into account?