Advantages
- If the parents egg and sperm are used, the parents can have their own biological child which the mother can carry
- A donor egg reduces the chance of a genetic disease being passed on
Disadvantages
- Some women have a bad reaction to the hormone - abdominal pain, vomiting
- There is a higher chance of multiple births, as more than one embryo is implanted
- IVF babies tend to born earlier, which may cause problems with birth and development
- Expensive to NHS (£2500-£3000 per round) with high chance of miscarriage. Several attempts are often needed. This can cause a lot of emotional distress.
- Embryos are often destroyed in the process which leads to an ethical issue- is it ever right to discard human life?
- There is also the possibilty for 'designer babies' - sex selective or with desirable charcteristics. This is a huge ethical issue - should we 'play God?'
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