O-069 A demographic revolution? Social representations confronted with statistics

The objective of clinical statistics is usually to measure the efficacy of ART from a medical viewpoint, not from the standpoint of the couples’ care pathways. The gap between the two is considerable. The pathways of couples who undertake ART are marked by pitfalls that strongly affect success rates because of the risk of treatment dropout. In some countries, economic factors are a major reason for dropout because of the high cost of ART. France is a very interesting textbook case to explore this issue, as all infertility treatments are fully reimbursed for up to six artificial inseminations and four in vitro fertilizations for each birth. Economic barriers to A RT access are minimal in such a favorable national context. Nevertheless, only about half of couples treated by ART finally become parents and success rates drop dramatically in older women. This epidemiological statistical reality is difficult to reconcile with the media presentation of ART as “o mnipotent”. However, “natural miracles” can also occur as spontaneous births have been observed among couples unsuccessfully treated by ART. There are also other pathways to parenthood, such as adoption of a child.Thanks to ART, every year numerous couples become parents. But for infertile cou ples, the everyday reality is far from the “omnipotence” acclaimed by media headlines. The social representation of ART must move toward a more balanced perception of these technologies, bearing in mind its successes and ...
Source: Human Reproduction - Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: research