Selective Reduction Essay

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Selective reduction is the process of voluntarily terminating one or more fetuses in a multi-fetal pregnancy in order to increase the likelihood of a successful and viable birth. The procedure is used to manage multiple pregnancies that result from fertility treatments such as IVF and also some naturally occurring multi-fetal pregnancies. This procedure was developed in the 1980’s by Dr. Mark Evans (Evans & Britt, 2010). This is a controversial topic to many people who classify this action as abortion. Abortion is the termination of the entire pregnancy yet selective reduction is performed to improve the survival rate of the remaining fetuses and also the mother. Selective reduction is performed early in the pregnancy, normally between weeks 9 and 12, it is most often performed when there are four or more fetuses present, can be used to reduce triplets to twins, and with a fetus with severe defects (www.webmd.com). Infants born part of a multiple pregnancy are at increased risk of prematurity, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, slow language development, behavioral difficulties, chronic lung disease, and death (Multifetal Pregnancy Reduction, 2013). These risks play an important role in a mother’s decision to utilize selective reduction. Maternal risks of a multi-fetal pregnancy include hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and postpartum hemorrhage (Multifetal Pregnancy Reduction, 2013). Maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality increase with each fetus. The most common method of fetal reduction is trans-abdominal multi-fetal pregnancy reduction. An ultrasound is used as a guide and a needle containing potassium chloride is inserted through the woman’s abdomen, into the uterus and into the fetal sac causing the heart to stop (www.webmd.com). Following the procedure, the fetal tissue is normally absorbed by the mother’s body. Other methods

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