Early Life Flashcards
What legal documentation is used to protect the welfare of a potential child?
Human Fertilisation Embryology Act 2008
What are the six techniques of assisted reproduction?
Artificial insemination
In vitro fertilisation (IVF)
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
Gamete donation
Embryo donation
Surrogacy
What are the four advantages of assisted reproduction?
Infertility treatment
Single parent pregnancy
Same sex parent pregnancy
Reduced inherited conditions via selection techniques
What are pre-implantation genetic diagnosis techniques?
These are investigations conducted on IVF fertilised embryos to screen out those which are known to carry life threatening inherited conditions
What are the four diasadvantages of assisted reproduction?
Sex selection
Designer babies
Seeking disability (deaf couples, etc)
Saviour siblings
What are the arguments for egg freezing?
It allows women to become pregnant at a time in their life that is convenient to them
What are the arguments against egg freezing?
It can result in women having pregnancies beyond menopausal age - which can leave children loosing their parents at an early age
What legal document determines the moral status of the embryo?
Human Fertilisation Embryology Act 2008
Can human embryos be used for research purposes? Why?
Yes
They can be used up to 14 days after fertilisation
After this point, the primitive streak appears and the CNS begins to develop
At what gestational age do we have to consider whether resuscitation on premature babies is ethical?
< 24 weeks
What do we need to discuss with patients before undertaking pre-natal screening?
The risks of conducting pre-natal screening
We need to establish that both partners are in agreement with the testing
We need to establish both partners decisions if the screening did detect a genetic anomaly
Do patients have the right to terminate the pregnancy if pre-natal screening detects abnormalities?
Yes
