Reporter's Notebook: "Infertility in Utah" by Mary Richards

Reporter's Notebook -- "Infertility in Utah" by Mary Richards

This was a fascinating series to work on, but also a tough one. Many people I talked to about infertility can get quite emotional about it. It's an issue that affects them quite personally. They feel pressure from their families, their neighbors and themselves to have a baby, but for one medical reason or another, it's extremely difficult to get pregnant - and to stay pregnant. They deal with questions from people. It ranges from the curious, "Why aren't you pregnant? When are you going to have kids? Hey, when are those babies coming?" To the rude: "Are you just focusing on your careers right now? Aren't you being selfish by not having kids?"

But I also found that many couples are quite open about their experiences with infertility and with fertility treatments. This is something that is consuming their lives; something they are spending a lot of time focusing on, and it's something they are quite willing to share. They especially want to help others going through a similar experience. They, like the doctor I spoke with at the Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine, explain it's a medical condition and not something of which to be ashamed.

The Jergensens and the Hosehohrls are amazing couples and I am grateful to them for talking so openly with me about their experiences. They both now have beautiful children that came to them through different fertility treatments. But those treatments were not easy. They went through months of invasive procedures, as well as emotional and hormonal roller coasters. But at the end they all said they would do it again, because it gives them a chance at a family.

I learned that infertility is more common than we think. The Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine says its patient list grows by 8 percent every year. They estimate infertility affects one or even two out of every ten couples. Their treatments range from hormonal treatments like Clomed, to artificial insemination, to In Vitro Fertilization.

For the second part of the series I looked at some of the ethical concerns surrounding these treatments. Some pro-life organizations are worried that IVF creates too many extra embryos that then could be used for scientific research. They say these embryos are babies and we shouldn't be playing God. Another critic said anyone who uses fertility treatments is being egotistical, is contributing to an over-population crisis and should adopt instead.

But Dr. Matthew Peterson at the Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine told me he has a different ethical concern. He says insurance companies don't see infertility as a medical condition, so they don't cover fertility treatments. That means many couples feel forced to create more embryos and implant them at one time to increase their chances of having a viable pregnancy. But this leads to high-risk pregnancies and multiple births, that Dr. Peterson says the insurance companies then end up paying for anyway.

Something I didn't even have time to get into was, what happens when fertility treatments don't work? What happens to people who, after trying everything -- even adoption -- are never able to have children? The Jergensens were childless for years. They spoke of how having children isn't your only contribution to society. They have been active in their community, state and church for years. They mentor, teach and help others.

All in all a series that opened my eyes, and I'm sure I didn't cover it all. I'm sure many people out there have different opinions and experiences to share. I hope people with questions will search this subject out more for themselves. I hope people struggling with infertility will find what works for them.