Blakey: Septuplets could be million dollar babies

Blakey

Rea Blakey is a medical correspondent for CNN as well as a regular contributor to the weekend program Your Health. Blakey is based in the network's Washington, D.C., bureau.

Q: Can you explain the type of fertility treatment that this woman underwent?

Rea Blakey: Essentially, a patient is given medication -- whether orally or [by injection] -- to increase the number of eggs she produces, [and] to spur on her ovulation. The medication can work in different ways, but essentially the result is the same: more eggs available. The patient, in this case, was informed at seven weeks gestation that there were seven viable embryos. The conception, by the way, happens naturally, so there is no in-vitro involved in this process. At that point, apparently the patient and the father decided that they would continue with this high-risk pregnancy, and, of course, we all know the outcome.

Q: Did the doctors mention any possible complications that could arise?

Blakey: The babies are actually listed in critical condition, even though the doctors said they did remarkably well during birth in that six of the children did need to be on ventilators. The smallest child, however, was not in need of a ventilator. Essentially they don't anticipate that there will be any immediate problems although the babies will be under observation here at Georgetown University Hospital for the next few weeks. They think the greatest potential for risk will be later on -- developmental delays are always a possibility with premature births. They anticipate physically the babies are doing quite well under the circumstances.

Q: Why is developmental growth at risk?

Blakey: Babies' organs in particular are always generally premature when the child is born prematurely. Therefore, in developmental delays -- which may not be detected in a normal weight baby until the child is two -- can be "hidden" in a premature baby. Especially when you have seven [babies], you may not notice all the developmental issues going on with each individual child Q: Does this fertility treatment raise any ethical questions?

Blakey: Dr. Eric Widra, a fertility specialist with Shady Grove Fertility Center in the D.C. area, expresses it this way. He indicates, in this particular pregnancy -- though he's happy for the family and the doctors -- was an example of ovulation induction failure. What he means by that is [that] there are many opportunities along the way -- especially when you know at seven weeks gestation -- to avoid having such a high-risk pregnancy. Even though it was the patient's determination to continue with this pregnancy for as long as possible, Dr. Widra indicates, as a fertility specialist, that basically you are putting not only the mother, but the fetuses at great risk. This is an extremely high-risk pregnancy, and he indicates that this is not what [this] fertility [treatment] was designed to do. The objective, he says, is to bring to bear one viable child at a time, and he considers this particular example a failure.

According to Dr. Widra, there should have been better precautions taken, specifically to cancel the cycle. In other words, to let the woman ovulate naturally, which would mean that she would have her period and no pregnancy would be involved. The opportunity, apparently, occurred very early on and, according to Dr. Widra, this is something that should be avoided at all costs because of the increased risk, for not only the mother but the children. So he's saying, let this opportunity go by because it has such high-risk potential. But often times, patients are eager -- that's why they're there. They want to create a pregnancy.

Q: Could this end up costing a million dollars?

Blakey: The chief neonatologist indicated that's probably a good estimate. I don't know if that includes fertility treatment. That [estimate] I would imagine has to do with Georgetown's intervention. They wouldn't go into whether or not she has insurance ... but the cost of delivering [and caring for] these seven babies could be approaching a million dollars.