Although “Woman X,” a thirty-five-year-old scientist, had a pre-existing ovarian condition, her sad story adds further weight to the argument that the hyperstimulation of ovaries is. not. a. good. thing. As readers of Bioethike know, besides a procedure for in vitro fertilization (IVF), ovary hyperstimulation of thousands if not more women will be required in order to have the number of viable eggs needed to do embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) and human cloning. Here’s a snippet:
When I decided to sell my eggs, I never thought I’d get cancer. I don’t remember if the clinic told me that the fertility drugs could increase my risk of cancer. They certainly didn’t tell me that the relationship between cancer and fertility treatments for egg donors had never been researched. Now I know more than I ever wanted to know about breast cancer. I know that breast cancers are hormone sensitive and can be affected by hormone treatments. During my cancer treatment, two doctors mentioned that anecdotally they see more cancer in women who have had fertility treatments. I’ll never know for sure if the egg donation caused my breast cancer, but now I know that it is likely to be a contributing factor. I think often about how much I love my husband, and it breaks my heart that my desperation for a couple thousand bucks has caused him such pain. A bad decision made seven years ago may cost me my life.
You can read her entire story at the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network.
