Dr. Minaretzis – IVF and Randomness

 IVF and Randomness      

From an evolutionary and theological point of view, humans cannot influence the rules of DNA rearrangement, which are random and chaotic

The pivotal event in either human natural conception or in IVF is the fusion of oocyte and sperm followed by mixing and rearrangements of maternal and paternal chromosomes. DNA rearrangement has no rules and is absolutely random and chaotic. Nature expects that the new cell will properly divide, implant into the endometrium/uterus and finally result in a live birth.

It can be said that the miracle of fertilization is a trial and failure-procedure

From an evolutionary and theological point of view, humans cannot influence the rules of DNA rearrangement, which are random and chaotic and the final purpose of nature is to achieve offspring that will be better than their parents. However, this trial is frequently unsuccessful, which means that the new fertilized egg carries few or many genetic mistakes and mismatches that drive to slow embryo growth, or inability to implant or even implant but with a final miscarriage. It can be said that the miracle of fertilization is a trial and failure-procedure.

Therefore, fertilization is a genetic recombination that we cannot influence. We must just accept the outcome of randomness. In case of failure, we must retry a new course of fertilization hoping that randomness and chaos eventually will reward us with a new, genetically normal, human cell. We might have the feeling that there is a resemblance to shooting dice. To get sixes we must shoot the dice again and again. Then new issues evolve: Is this well understood by people with infertility? How can we describe it to couples undergoing IVF? What is the implication of IVF planning and treatment? People tend to condemn those who handle their infertility problem and rarely like to acknowledge the contribution of nature. Human beings get very stunned and feel insecure when facing the reality of randomness.

Human beings get very stunned and feel insecure when facing the reality of randomness

How should we describe this chaotic effect in fertilization? Our inability to provide a simple, earthy explanation after IVF failure makes people nervous, suspicious and finally vulnerable to any tangible cosmotheory, medical theory, mostly without any scientific evidence, but easy to vilify for the failure. I believe that this mental and sentimental background is why theories, such as immunological factors, thrombophilia and others are easily suggested as an explanation for IVF failure. Even if such theories are gradually rejected from evidence-based medical literature as irrelevant concerning IVF failure, patients and medical practitioners are still very reluctant to abandon them. It seems that the human brain is wired to easily accept a simple and measured cause and explanation for a failure against nature’s randomness and chaos.