Page A2 2 - The Michigan Daily -Thursday, September 5, 1985 'U' test tube baby program sparks hope By KATIE WILCOX University Hosptials' test tube baby program has sparked new hope for in- fertile couples in the state. The first baby conceived in the Hos- pital's In Vitro Fertilization/Embryo Transfer (IVF/ET) program was born July 12 and the next birth is ex- pected in December. In vitro literally mean "in glas's," and refers to con- ception outside the mother's body in a special solution in a glass culture dish. JENNIFER ROBICHARD was born to Donna and Terry Robichard of Adrian this summer after an uncom- plicated pregnancy and nine and a half hours of normal labor. "There were no problems," said Dr. Jonathan Ayers who heads the IVF/ET program, "There is no increased risk with in vitro fertilization, the problem is getting it (the embryo) to take (in the uterus)." "It was a success," said Hospital spokesman Stephen House of the Robichard birth. No names have been released for the upcoming birth this winter. THE IVF/ET program is part of the University's Reproductive En- docrinology and Infertility Service in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Women's Hospital. In vitro fertilization is new hope for infertile couples, but is used only after all other methods of conception have failed. Couples are carefully screened for the program, and acceptance is based on complete medical records and physical and psychological examinations. The woman must have a normal and healthy uterus and the man must have normal and healthy sperm. MOST COUPLES who are eligible are infertile because of damaged or absent fallopian tubes in the women's uterus. The implanting procedure takes less than two weeks, and is done on an outpatient basis. Timing is important, because the process must be matched to the woman's normal ovulation cycle. The hormone Pergonal is ad- ministered to stimulate production of the eggs to increase the chance for fertilization. Pergonal also leads to a higher rate of multiple births, mostly twins and triplets. AFTER A FEW days, HCG, a hor- mone that induces ovulation by helping the egg mature, is given to the mother. Several hours later, the eggs are removed from the woman's body and placed with the husband's semen in a solution in the culture dish. The fer- tilized eggs are transferred back to the mother's uterus after two or three days. If conception has occurred, the fetus's development will be closely watched through the early stages. Monitoring the mother's estrogen level is important because this hor- mone signals the progress of the egg's development. ONE REMAINING difficulty is get- ting the egg to attach to the uterus lining for normal growth. The hor- mone progesterone helps prepare the lining for the embryo. Ninety percent of those who undergo the procedure have successful tran- sfers of the fertilized egg back to the womb. The rate of miscarriage and malformed babies is no higher than that of regular pregnancies. The suc- cess rate of both regular and in vitro fertilization is about 10-15 percent, but in vitro fertilization is very expensive, costing about $3,000 per try. For a 50 percent chance of pregnancy, it takes four attempts, or four of the woman's cycles. This comes to about $12,000. Insurance currently covers very little of this. "A lot of infertility procedures couples end up paying for out of their own pockets," Ayers said. Sixteen couples have so far un- dergone in vitro fertilization at the University since the program began in June 1984. Four pregnancies have resulted, but only two have continued successfully. As for the program's success, "The problem is not demand, the problem is paying for it," Ayers said. The world's first "test tube baby", Louise Brown, was born in 1978 a'( Cambridge, England. The number of babies since then conceived outside the womb is approximated at about 600. Dozens of returnable bottles wait to be picked up at Campus Corner. The number of recyclable bottles may double if the state Senate passes a bill to make wine cooler bottles returnable. Senate to consider wine cooler reccle bill r By SUSAN GRANT At the end of the month, the Michigan Senate will consider a bill that will add California Wine Cooler bottles to the list of returnables in this state. "The wine cooler business is a big growth industry with an increasing amount of sales," said the bill's spon- sor, Senator William Sederberg (D- East Lansing). THERE WERE 1.7 million gallons of wine coolers sold in Michigan last year, said Bill Rusten, the director of grants and programs at the Michigan United Conservationists Club. And all of these bottles must ultimately be disposed of. "It's a growing problem and we're trying to deal with it by putting a deposit on the bottles,' Rusten said. Sederberg thinks the bill is a natural extension of the 1978 bottle law that makes beer and soda bottles returnable. THOSE WHO favor the bill are con- cerned with land and energy conser- vation and the reduction of litter. Bottles made from recycled material use less energy and cut back on the number of solid waste landfills needed. Since the bottle law was enacted, solid waste was reduced by 5 percent in Detroit, Rusten said. "That means for every 20 landfills, one didn't have to be built," he said. As a store owner, the law can be a hassle, but the benefits outweigh the trouble," said Mary Giraud, part owner of Strickland's Market on Ged- des. "I LIVE out in the country and the litter has decreased there," Giraud said. "Also, my husband bought a bike from the money he earned collec- ting cans," she said. Some store owners have to return the bottles themselves. "Our distributors don't take the bottles back and we have to do it ourselves, but it's worth it," said Paul Got- tschalk, a manager at the People's Food Co-op. "Solid waste disposal doesn't use so much land now, and there is a group of people living on the bottle returns," he said. BUT THE bill is not without op- position. Many store owners are concerned with storage, price control, and health risks. "It's nice to have cleaner roads and all that, but it's hard to think of those things when dealing with empty bot- tles," said Bill Knudsterup, a manager at Village Corner. "It's an absurd law as far as retailers go," he said. "We have to use bug spray every couple of weeks and the employees are always getting wet from drippy bottles." ONE employee at Stop-N-Go got sick because she handled a dirty bot- tle, said Joan Ryerson, the store's assistant manager. Finding room to store the bottles is another problem. Stop-N-Go had to build an extra room for storage. "Also, prices have risen. Right after the law was passed, prices rose every six months for two years," Knud- sterup said. PRICES are rising in part because delivery trucks reserve room in their trucks for returnables, rather than fill the trucks with full bottles. This for- ces them to make more deliveries. Accepting returnables does have some perks for the store owners. Some people spend the money they get from returning empties as soon as they get it. "When students bring in bottles from a six-pack, they usually use the money to buy another six-pack," said Tom House, another manager at Village Corner. "Most of the people who return bot- tIes are students and local residents, but we do have . a few people who return bottles daily to buy cigarettes and alcohol," said Randy Smith, the manager of Blue Front. But some people return bottles because they need quick change for laundry or parking meters. "We needed money for the meter, and we had a couple of bottles in the van so we brought them in," said Rob Goodman, a high school student from Florida. Center recycles garbage By SUSAN GRANT The Ann Arbor Ecology Center, operating since 1970, has grown into one of the most successful programs in the state, center officials say. "Recycle Ann Arbor" was initiated by the center and was completed last April, so all Ann Arbor homes now have access to curbside recyclable garbage pick-up service. THE CENTER recycles about one- fifth of the recyclable material in Ann Arbor's neighborhoods, Wienert said. The biggest problem with the program is communication, said 'Jim Fry, staff coordinator at the Ecology Center. Once people learn where the drop-off points are and what items are recyclable, participation is ,expected to increase. The drop-off point nearest to Cen- tral Campus is 2050 S. Industrial Highway between Stadium and Ellsworth. Drop-off times are Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:3018 p.m. ABOUT 50 percent of Ann Arbor residents recycle some materials, Wienert said, but student par- ticipation is low. Many students are not aware of the recycling project and "they are a transient population that just doesn't have the knowledge that such things as curbside service are available for recyclables," Wienert said. .But some dorms - such as East Quad, West Quad, and Baits housing - do recycle, Wienert said. Unlike returning soda and beer bot- tles, recycling through the Ecology Center offers no material incentive. The intangible benefit is the satisfac- tion that comes from helping the en- vironment, Wienert said. 4 I i Michigan Union Bookstore A Service of Barnes & Noble bookstores. 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