IVF: is the treatment selfish, irresponsible and damaging?

I was alarmed at recent statistics released by the government this week that showed a huge rise in the number of single women and lesbian couples receiving fertility treatment, more commonly known as IVF.

According to the new figures by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, in 2010 1,571 women received the treatment, a quadruple rise in the number of mothers when compared to only 350 single women in 2007.

The number of lesbian women also seeking treatment has also doubled, from 178 to 417, compared to a rise of just 18% for heterosexual couples.

Without a doubt, IVF has made a huge difference to the many women who have tried and failed to conceive, with IVF giving women a lifeline in their quest for motherhood. It's expensive, but obviously the benefits are priceless when you're handed your new son or daughter some 9 months later.

But my problem isn't with the treatment, it's with the reasons behind it. With these figures in mind, it suggests that women are deliberately choosing the right to care for their child without any help from a 'father figure.'

For me, this is a completely selfish, damaging and irresponsible thing to even consider, let alone do. We've seen the documentaries on 'Broken Britain', we all know the facts that if a child is raised fatherless, they're likely to suffer in later life.

How would you feel, as a mother who was the sole parent of a child, if your 'baby' ended up a drug addict, with no job prospects, no qualifications and his own family to care for? Well, we've all seen it on Jeremy Kyle haven't we.

So what reasons could you have for wanting to bring up a child without a father? I sympathise with Lesbian couples, at least you're getting two role models for your child, but single mothers making the choice to bring up their child on their own, how can you justify your actions?

The fault, it seems, can be traced to the government. When the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act in 2008 removed the requirement for clinics to take into account the child's need for a father-like figure, it gave women a clear path to have babies on their own without the need for a father figure to be present in the household.

Single mothers now have as much right to a child as couples, and although this may seem fairer, undercover documentaries featured on Panorama have also shown that single couples are benefited by bigger benefit handouts by councils, for example.

Is the government creating a climate which promotes single parenting and condones the traditional family? It's fair to say we are a growing community of independent and ambitious individuals, but risking tradition in favour for a minute number of women to start their own single family seems damaging for all parties involved, particularly the child, who is more than likely to suffer.

With religious groups angry with the recent findings, maybe the government should think again at the disturbing trends in Britain towards a 'fatherless society'.

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia

'Bad Dreams' boost impatient numbers as admissions soar

Economic pressure, increasing energy bills and colder winters are taking their toll on the average Briton, as new figures released today saw an increase in admissions for the public suffering from nightmares.

Statistics released by the NHS Hospital Episode Statistics website report a steady increase in the number of people being treated for health and physical complications, all from the effects of Nightmares, over the last five years.

In 2010/11, 34 people consulted doctors for treatment in England - a 50% increase in admissions when compared to 23 cases in 2005/06.

The results, linked to the current financial concerns facing the British public, also show an increase in emergency cases. In 2009/10, 10 emergency cases were seen to by doctors. The figure has since risen by 20%, to 12 cases this year.

According to the mental health charity Mind, emotional difficulties, including anxiety and depression, are just one of the many factors that can disrupt your sleeping pattern and cause nightmares.

A nightmare is described by many as an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response, is usually common in children, and less frequent by adults, with many nightmares occurring irregularly - despite the latest research suggesting the mean age of those admitted as being 46. Nightmares are just one of the many symptoms of sleeping disorders, which also include narcolepsy and sleep terror disorder.

However, experts warned that recurrent nightmares, which can interfere with sleeping patterns and cause insomnia, may require medical help.

Harvard psychologist Deirdre Barrett, writing in her book ‘Trauma and Dreams’, cites imagery rehearsal therapy as a possible treatment for patients suffering from nightmares. She said: “Imagery rehearsal therapy involves the dreamer coming up with an alternative, mastery outcome to the nightmare.”

“Mentally rehearsing that outcome awake, and then reminding themselves at bedtime that they wish this alternative outcome, should the nightmare recur,” she added.

Other cures and treatment include; counselling, the practise of good sleep and talking to friends and family. Ins serious cases, treatment can include tests on blood cells, liver function and thyroid function, as well as the undertaking of an EEG - the process of measuring brain waves by placing electrodes on the head.

Volunteers from Mind, marking depression awareness week - one of the main factors associated with nightmares - explained that nightmares can be linked to wider mental and physical issues. One volunteer, who suffered from depression, said: “Nightmares and this numb nothingness characterised my seven months on antidepressants.

Karine, 22, also suffered from depression that later escalated into sleep problems, including nightmares. Writing on the Insomniacs expert website, she said: “I just found that I couldn’t get to sleep at night.”

Karine, who also admitted that her doctor failed to take the question seriously, advised other people to: “get on with things as normal as possible”, adding, “try not to worry, because sometimes it does get better.”

If you suffer from nightmares more than once a week, if nightmares stop you from having a good night’s rest or if they keep you from doing daily activities for a long period of time, experts advice that you should contact your health care provider.

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In other news, the statistics also uncovered an increase in the waiting time for patients. An average waiting time of 2.5 hours this year, compared to just 2.2 recorded last year, providing another blow to the radical NHS plans, unveiled by the Government earlier this year.

Not another "bad decision by the NHS" story....

Now if you have been watching and reading the news recently, one matter, which just will not work out for the coalition, is the reforms planned for the NHS. Even today, the British Medical Association has revealed that in a recent survey conducted by its members, 2/3 of the association would strike over pension reform. This adds to the latest patient waiting-time figures, which revealed that 43% of patients were not being seen in the designated waiting-times set by the government.

So you can understand my uncertainty about meeting my doctor for the first time. Since I have moved to university, I have had to change doctor’s surgery. The registration process was simple; sign on the dotted line, and you will have a new doctor waiting for whenever you need a tickly throat inspected.

Yet the brand new surgery, conveniently opened inside Boots the Chemist, looked the part as I walked in. And contrary to the new waiting room figures, I had barely made myself comfortable in my seat before the nurse called my name, and I was escorted into a dull office and sat down tentatively opposite a woman who looked the spitting image of Jo Brand in Getting On (how ironic!)

But it was once we got down to business that the whole thing started to unravel. You see, the NHS prefers not to share your information with other surgeries in other counties. So rather than her educating me about my asthmatic problems, it was more the other way round. However, oh no, she did not stop there. Within the space of 15 minutes, she had me recounting all my past medical history, along with the rest of my family’s problems, with elicit detail and description. And for someone that has never really paid attention to that kind of thing, I was left frantically searching my memory for any past medical history she may require. I felt less intimidated in my GCSE Biology exam!

Then I was prodded, probed and measured for all sorts of things I had never been asked to do before. She used the old imperial system for telling me my weight and height, which unless you are Albert Einstein, means very little anymore. She interrogated me repeatedly about drugs and smoking, (I have done neither), and then told me my blood pressure was too high for my age, and so did it again so that she could just check. Surprise surprise, she then said it must have been wrong the first time where I had walked in. You can see where my breathing problems start to come from!

So not only was the whole experience unprofessional and unnecessary, considering how quick and easy it could be in an ideal world where councils could share patients medical records with each other, but I had not even got my inhaler yet!

And what a drama that was. On my part, probably my fault for telling her it was green, not blue. After we had gone through Google images and checked various websites, with her pointing and me giving her a yes/ no answer for each one with no success, she then produced one out from under her desk. Bingo! “Yes, that’s the one!” “It’s blue, not green. You said it was green.” “It’s a bluey kind of green.”

I quickly ran off after that, wanting to forget the whole ordeal. But that is just it; it was such an ordeal that it made me think about buying the inhaler from some drug-dealer at the back of Co-op in future, which would have been a lot less stressful. Was it incompetence on her part? Probably not. What it comes down to is just another reason why the NHS in England needs to take itself seriously for once. Granted, it is an essential institution in Britain that we cannot live without. But we can pull a few strings and make a few sacrifices if needs be. Because at the moment, it really is a joke which is just not funny anymore.

Picture Courtesy of Wikipedia.