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The Sad and Scary Tale of Octuplets
by Dawn
As
a society, we seem obsessed with multiple births. I’m just as bad as
the rest. My greatest desire from age six to ten was to own a set of
quintuplet dolls, complete with matching bassinets and layettes. I
never got the dolls, but that didn’t stop me from pretending that my
mismatched set of four assorted dolls and one stuffed dog were my very
own quints. I’m almost ashamed to admit my obsession with the octuplet
story this past week. The difference is that my fascination is now
tinged with horror. It’s like a sore in your mouth: you know you
should leave it alone, but your tongue, seemingly with a will of its
own, continues to prod and poke. From the very first newscast with the
beaming doctors almost tripping over their exuberance, I have been
fascinated and heart sick–equal parts attraction and revulsion.
My response, of course, has nothing to do with those eight innocent
babies. They are the victims in this whole sad story. I thank God
that they are all alive, and continue to pray for them through their
ordeal of survival. But every other aspect of this bizarre story
leaves me with an almost overwhelming feeling of sadness. Quite a
change from my youthful desire.
At this point, we don’t know much other than rumors. We “know” that
octuplets were born to Nadya Suleman, a 33 year old single woman with
six older children (7, 6,5, 3, 2, 2) who lives with her parents.
Apparently one of the older children has autism. Reputable news
sources have reported that her mother says that all fourteen children
were conceived through infertility treatment from the same sperm
donor. Although these same sources report that they were conceived
through in vitro fertilization (IVF), I am not convinced. Those
unfamiliar with infertility tend to assume all treatment is IVF, but
the grandmother said that the octuplets were from frozen embryos, so
who knows. I still think that it is more likely that the mother used
injectible ovulation stimulating drugs and then either had sex or had
an IUI (intra-uterine insemination where sperm is released directly
into the uterus). I simply can’t imagine a doctor transferring eight
embryos into a 33 year old woman with a proven conception track
record. Then again, I can’t imagine doing an IUI if the sonogram
showed that many mature egg follicles. But, in many ways it doesn’t
matter. Whatever form of infertility treatment was used, the
conception of eight embryos is a tragedy.
When I first heard the news reports that octuplets had been born, I
was irritated at the celebratory atmosphere in the media and by the
hospital staff. I hate the glamorization of something so fraught with
danger. I had to keep reminding myself that indeed their live birth
was a moment to celebrate, just as is their continued survival. But
the circus environment seems totally inappropriate for what I see as
such a monumental failure. It was only after the revelations of the
mother’s marital and financial status, as well as the existence of her
six older children, that the media tide shifted, but I still think they
are missing the boat.
This story is sad on so many different levels. First and foremost
is that these children are far from out of the woods. It looks like
they will survive, but survival shouldn’t be the end goal—a healthy
life is what we are aiming for, and the odds are stacked against them.
Almost all multiples (including twins) are born premature, as were
these octuplets, and the risks of prematurity are huge and surprisingly
long lasting. A study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association (summarize on the Infertility Research page of
this website) found that premature babies had diminished long-term
survival and reproduction, and women born preterm were at increased
risk of having preterm offspring. As expected, babies born early were
more likely to die during the first year of life compared with babies
born at term. Unexpectedly, their increased risk of death persisted as
they aged, and can last a lifetime. A study published last month in
the New England Journal of Medicine found that health risks
increase significantly for babies born even just a few weeks before
term. In addition to health risks, children born premature are more
likely to have ADD and other learning disabilities, according to Dr.
Edward Hallowell on the Jan. 21 Creating a Family show.
In addition to premature birth, it is expected that these babies
were malnourished in utero. Doctors say it is not possible for a woman
to consume enough calories and nutrition to adequately sustain eight
fetuses, even with good prenatal medical care. Much research, some of
which I summarize on the Adoption Research page,
has shown that prenatal malnutrition
