Contemporary connections: My Year of
Meats and Fertility treatments
In the novel “My Year of Meats”
Jane and Akiko both struggled with not being able to have a baby.
About 6% of married women in America are infertile. This leads to
many alternatives to having a baby such as adoption or fertility
treatments. Many of these fertility treatments have negative side
effects and can even lead to birth defects. The most common fertility
treatment is in vitro fertilization. In vitro fertilization is the
process of manually combining sperm and an egg in a laboratory and
then inserting the embryo into the uterus. The average cost of one
cycle of this method of fertilization is roughly $12,400 around the
United States. Other options include injecting hormones into the
women's body to help start or regulate ovulation. While these methods
are currently viewed as safe, we cannot determine the long-run side
effects as they have not been around long enough.
Success rates of In Vitro fertilization
- 43% for women under age 35
- 33-36% for women ages 35 to 37
- 23-27% for women ages 38 to 40
- 13-18% for women ages over 40
Risks of Fertility Treatments:
Multiple Births
Having a multiple birth is the biggest health
risk associated with fertility treatments. Having multiple babies at
once can be a health risk to both the mother and the babies.
Ovarian Hyper-Simulation Syndrome
This is caused by an over-reaction to
fertility drugs that are used to stimulate egg production. Ovarian
hyper-simulation syndrome is when cysts form on the ovaries and fluid
collects in the abdomen.
Ectopic Pregnancy
An ectopic pregnancy is when an embryo
implants inside the fallopian tubes rather than the uterus. This can
cause a rupture through the fallopian tube and internal bleeding.
Birth Defects
Some research suggests that fertility
treatments can lead to a higher risk of birth defects in newborn
babies.
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