Fertility Drugs
Controlling the use of Fertility Drugs
Fertility drugs seem to be a trend in our society today. People are being informed of them through word of mouth and the media, just the way trends in clothing, household items, and exercise equipment get started. Except, fertility drugs are a lot more ambiguous than these items and I think it is time people start realizing this. Doctors need to take action and and start preventing unnecessary use of fertility drugs instead of encouraging them.
In her article "The baby myth," Sharon Begley (1995) claims: "Today there are 5.3 million infertile couples in the United States and of that number, 3 million will get medical help for infertility this year" (p. 39). The others adopt, accept the fact they are childless, or keep trying to conceive without help. Begley also includes "The percentage of childless infertile couples has increased from 14.4 in 1964 to 18.5 in 1995, according to the National Center for Health Statistics" (p. 39).
Why is there such an increase in infertility? One reason is the changes in sexual habits. The more partners a person has, the greater the risk of sexually transmitted diseases that may damage fertility. A second reason is that people are waiting longer to have children due to the rise of careers among women. The ideal child bearing age is late teens to early twenties. Today, many women are finishing their education, developing a career, and not becoming financially stable until they are in their mid-thirties or early forties. A third reason for an increase in infertility is IUD use. IUD stands for intrauterine device, which is a metal or plastic loop inserted into the uterus as a contraceptive. In the late 1960's and early 1970's the new IUD's were made from plastic instead of metal. They were inexpensive and many women started using them. Wisot and Meldrum (1990) say that "by the time it was discovered that they predisposed the wearer to...
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