I wonder what’s next. So far, we have drugs that contracept/abort one day after intercourse and now one week after intercourse. Will the next drug be the “month-after” pill? How about the “year-after” pill?

And at this rate, why not just sterilization?

Seriously, if some women don’t want babies this badly, perhaps they shouldn’t have them.

Ever.

In what should come as no surprise, the US resumed its trend of following Europe in a declining fertility rate. A portion of “Table 1″ is provided above. From the report:

The 2008 preliminary estimate of the total fertility rate (TFR)) was 2085.5 births per 1,000 women–2% ower than the rate in 2007 (2,122.5) (Table 1). The TFR summarizes the potential impact of current fertility patterns on completed family size by estimating the average number of births that a hypothetical group of 1,000 women would have over their lifetimes, based on the age-specifi birth rates obeserved in the given year. The TFR for the United States in 2008 was below replacement after being above in 2006 and 2007. Replacement is the rate at which a given generation can exactly replace itself,k which is generally considered to be 2,1000 births per 1,00 women. The U.S. rate had been below replacement from 1972 to 2005.

Source: Hamilton BE, Martin JA, and Ventura SJ. “Births: Preliminary Data for 2008.” National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics Reports. 2010;58(16):1-17.

Also, from the Washington Post:

The nation’s overall birthrate fell 2 percent from 2007 to 2008, when about 4.2 million babies were born. The dip pushed the fertility rate below 2.1 per woman, meaning Americans were no longer giving birth to enough children to keep the population from declining.

The new research by the Univeristy of St Andrews and Edinburgh University is the first to colate the actual decline of the “ovarian reserve” – the potential number of eggs women are born with – from conception to the menopause. It shows that on average women are born with 300,000 potential egg cells but this pool declines at a much faster rate than first thought. By the age of 30 there is only 12 per cent left on average and by the age of 40 just three per cent.

Dr Hamish Wallace, the co-author, said: “Our model shows that for 95 per cent of women, by the age of 30 years, only 12% of their maximum ovarian reserve is present, and by the age of 40 years only three per cent remains.”

Best to set aside the “it’s better to have kids after college and career” myth right away, don’t you think?

“This is a real change in the landscape. . . This is the first down payment on what is going to be a much longer list . . . that will empower the scientific community to explore the potential of embryonic stem cell research.”

More like a down payment on a long list that includes guilt, regret and God’s wrath, Dr. Collins.

When ACP information is examined against research conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, it is evident that demographic changes in our country have been the major shaping force of our membership numbers, not outdated methodologies nor a generation gap in the leadership of our churches and institutions. . . The data show that membership and baptism figures are in large part the products of a declining birthrate among Whites [the predominate SBC population] as well as the suburbanization of America. . . A quantitative analysis will confirm what is evident by sight from comparing the two graphs: The trends for the White, non-Hispanic population in the U.S. and for the SBC’s membership pretty much share the same path.

I wonder if other denominations will be willing to make the same analysis?

Egg donors are usually compensated thousands of dollars for their time and effort relating to their egg donation. Proactive Family Solutions program is unique. In addition to monetary compensation, we give our donors a free trip to India where the egg retrieval takes place. We only use India’s finest doctors, hospitals, and clinics– all of which are highly trained, have extensive experience and a long history of providing world-class patient care. The medical appointments won’t take much time, which means your two weeks in India will be largely a vacation for you. You will have significant time to explore and absorb a fascinating culture as well as shop, tour and enjoy the nightlife. You may even choose to bring a friend along.

I guess I’m not really sure what “your two weeks in India will be largely a vacation for you” means, especially when you read this:

HOW ARE THE EGGS REMOVED? The eggs will be removed from your ovaries in a minor surgical procedure called transvaginal ovarian aspiration. An ultrasound probe will be inserted into your vagina. A thin needle attached to the probe will be inserted into each follicle. Using suction, the egg and liquid inside each follicle are removed. You may be given painkillers, sedatives, or anesthesia during the retrieval, which lasts about 30 minutes. When all the eggs have been retrieved, you will recover for a few hours before going “home” (one of our executive apartments in India or your hotel). You must have someone drive you to your lodging, following the procedure. You will need to rest for the day. Along with your lodging, meals and laundry, all transportation to and from medical appointments and the airport in India will be taken care of for you by PFS’ Indian-based affiliate BestMed Journeys, both before and after your procedure.

The fertility industry’s professional societies offer a potential avenue for self-regulation of the field, but their existing recommendations are too often ignored. Other countries regulate assisted reproduction to protect the well-being of all participants, including the children whom it helps create and the families and society into which they are born. Drawing lessons from their successes could help temper the commercial pressures in the U.S. assisted reproduction sector, without in any way diminishing reproductive rights.

Perhaps we need a new pair of lenses to see what other countries are doing on the other side of the Great Pond.

HT: Center for Genetics and Society.