Paris Hilton’s IVF Controversy
Paris Hilton’s IVF Controversy
A few weeks ago, Paris Hilton made some big news on a podcast appearance: she revealed that she had undergone In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) with her boyfriend so that she could have twins - a boy and a girl. “We have been doing the IVF so I can pick twins if I like,” she said.
The backlash was swift, with many accusing Hilton of elitism because she could afford to get treatment simply for the reason of wanting boy-girl twins - not because she needed IVF to conceive. Her comments were also insensitive, critics leveled, because some couples pursuing treatment lack enough healthy embryos to go forward with a transfer, let alone have the luxury of choosing the sex of their baby.
The truth is, there are many things we don’t know about Hilton’s journey - whether she’s had (or would have had) trouble conceiving naturally, whether she had her embryos PGD tested to ensure chromosomal balance, whether she made many (or just two) embryos with her boyfriend, and most importantly, the outcome of her future embryo transfers.
No matter the status of an IVF patient - whether famous or not - a successful pregnancy is not a guarantee with IVF, although per cycle success rates have increased dramatically over the last few years.
Fertility doctors like Dr. Zapantis at New York Reproductive Wellness, strongly discourage the transfer more than one embryo into a woman at a time (known as Single Embryo Transfer). Why? Because twin pregnancies are riskier for babies and moms during pregnancy, childbirth and post partum. Plus, Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART) technology has advanced so much that multiple embryo transfers are no longer necessary - doctors know enough about the makeup of any given embryo to say which will perform best in utero and result in a healthy baby.
If you need fertility help, and want the latest science, the most compassionate team, and a doctor who is always in, consider New York Reproductive Wellness and Dr. Zapantis. We're here for you.
