logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
13 m

IVF Has Come A Long Way, But Many Don't ...

NPR
About this episode
Since the first successful in vitro fertilization pregnancy and live birth in 1978, nearly half a million babies have been born using IVF in the United States. Assisted reproductive technology has made it possible for more people to become parents, but it's not accessible to everyone. Reproductive endocrinologist Amanda Adeleye explains the science behind IVF, the barriers to accessing it and her concerns about fertility treatment in a world without the legal protections of Roe v. Wade.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
Can you spot AI-written stories? Listen and find out
Can you tell the difference between a human-written short story and an AI-generated one? Most people can’t. In a series of experiments led by a team at Villanova University, researchers found two things: First, most people said they preferred human written stories, but couldn’t t ... Show More
12m 16s
Aug 11
How to see this week's eclipse (and the next big one)
During a total solar eclipse the world around you is very different. The sun gets totally blotted out and suddenly, it feels like night time. The temperature drops. Birds stop singing. These surreal celestial events happen every year or so around the globe – including tomorrow. T ... Show More
12m 4s
Aug 10
Mirror cells could threaten life on Earth. Why are we building them?
For people with two hands, one is usually dominant. On a molecular level, earthly life takes this to the extreme. All of the DNA in living things twists to the right, whereas the protein building blocks favor a kind of left-handed chemistry.The rules of life are based on this che ... Show More
14m 2s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
New IVF Test Could Increase Chances of Pregnancy Success
Today’s episode covers a topic that many parents-to-be have struggled with: fertility. In vitro fertilization offers a path to pregnancy for people fortunate enough to be able to access it. But predicting the success of an implanted embryo is hard. Now researchers are developing ... Show More
10m 1s
Jan 2024
New IVF Test Could Increase Chances of Pregnancy Success
Today’s episode covers a topic that many parents-to-be have struggled with: fertility. In vitro fertilization offers a path to pregnancy for people fortunate enough to be able to access it. But predicting the success of an implanted embryo is hard. Now researchers are developing ... Show More
10m 1s
Jul 2014
How In Vitro Fertlization Works
<p>In the U.S. alone, more than 6 million people are affected by infertility and science has taken up the mantle of helping them to conceive. Learn about the clever, though intuitive, methods of assisting infertile couples to have a child.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-cho ... Show More
36m 44s
Mar 2024
Sawbones: IVF
<p>Started in the 1930s by scientist Dr. Miriam Menkin, in vitro fertilization is a medical procedure to help with fertility that took until the 1970s to have results in humans. With some drastic misunderstandings going on in the news, Dr. Sydnee and Justin go through the long hi ... Show More
49 m
Jul 2024
Ep 144 IVF, Part 2: Invention
<p>CW: mentions of infertility, pregnancy loss, suicide</p><p>In the second part of our three-part series on IVF, we’re picking up where we left off last week. From the historical side of things, that means investigating how the revolutionary technology of IVF was developed over ... Show More
1h 20m
Jun 2022
What happens to people's donated eggs and sperm after they die? | Ellen Trachman
Today, there are many ways to conceive a child, thanks to assisted reproductive technologies like IVF and egg-freezing. But the law lags behind these advancements, says attorney Ellen Trachman, troubling parents-to-be with stranger-than-fiction mix-ups and baffling lawsuits. Trac ... Show More
13m 8s
Aug 2022
What happens to people's donated eggs and sperm after they die? | Ellen Trachman
Today, there are many ways to conceive a child, thanks to assisted reproductive technologies like IVF and egg-freezing. But the law lags behind these advancements, says attorney Ellen Trachman, troubling parents-to-be with stranger-than-fiction mix-ups and baffling lawsuits. Trac ... Show More
17m 58s
Nov 2022
Is IVF Next?
In vitro fertilization is already a grueling path to pregnancy. With embryos gaining new legal protections, it could become a criminal one. By Jill FilipovicSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
17m 50s
Jul 2024
Ep 145 IVF, Part 3: Industry
<p>CW: mentions of infertility, pregnancy loss, body-shaming</p><p>The third and final installment of our series on IVF surveys the current and potential future landscape of this powerful technology. We first trace the growth of the IVF industry in the US since its inception in t ... Show More
1h 21m
Jul 2025
The babies born with DNA from three parents
Doctors in the UK have announced the birth of eight healthy babies after performing a groundbreaking procedure that creates IVF embryos with DNA from three people. Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay about the life-threatening genetic disorders that the technique appears to prevent ... Show More
17m 10s