Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Email Sent to NC Women's Birth & Wellness Center

Good afternoon,

I have been a patient at your center in the past, for well-woman care. A friend of mine recently became pregnant for the first time, through IVF (in vitro fertilization) and mentioned to me that your center no longer accepts women who conceived via IVF. I am curious to hear your reasons for this decision. As a center that says it promotes "dignity and respect", and "birth as a uniquely personal event", I am surprised to see IVF listed along with the other exclusionary criteria on your website. While I understand having disqualifying events that are actually medically based (such as prior surgery on the uterus, etc.), I don't see how a method of conception, in and of itself, fits with the rest of your list (from: http://www.ncbirthcenter.com/1219945.html). 

Can you clarify the reasoning behind this? Currently, with the way it's listed, it seems to be a rather insensitive way to exclude women who already have been through so much and been made to feel so marginalized and even defective by the mainstream medical establishment. I am curious to hear the Birth Center's thinking on publishing this on your website, and what your reasons for this new policy are.

Thanks for your time in answering my question!

3 comments:

  1. You are awesome.

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  2. Fabulous letter. Did they ever respond to you with a logical reason?

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  3. Nope, they never responded AT ALL.

    I have since heard that they just have a huge demand, and this is one way to weed out applicants. But I think it's just really wrong, as I wrote. Oh well, screw 'em. I liked the midwives and hospital tour just fine.

    The midwives that I chose did tell me there will one extra ultrasound for IVF patients, to check the baby's heart, because there is a slightly higher incidence of heart defects. But nothing to worry about. This was the best option we had, and I took it, and we just hope for the best right now. Tens of thousands of IVF babies have been born and most are just fine.

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