Caesarean
Section
The surgical incision of the walls of the abdomen (and
uterus in normal cases) for the delivery of offspring.
Chorionic
Villus Sampling
A procedure for obtaining a sample of chorionic villi
(blood from the outside of the embryo) for the purpose of
genetic testing, usually performed between the 9th and 12th
weeks of pregnancy.
Ectopic
Pregnancy
A gestation elsewhere than in the uterus. For women, this
usually occurs in the fallopian tube. Symptoms include abdominal
pain, fainting, and/or vaginal bleeding.
Embryo
The developing human individual from the time of implantation
to the end of the eighth week after conception.
Hemmorhage
A copious discharge of blood from the blood vessels; heavy
bleeding.
IVF
(in vitro fertilization)
Fertilization outside the body in a laboratory. The term "test
tube baby" is inaccurate since fertilization occurs in a small
circular dish, not a test tube.
Peritoneum
The smooth serous membrane which lines the cavity of the
abdomen. It surrounds the large interior organs and forms
a closed (or nearly closed) sac.
Placenta
The vascular organ in most mammals that unites the fetus
to the maternal uterus (or in this case, the abdominal wall)
and mediates its metabolic exchanges through a more or less
intimate association of mucosal with chorionic and usually
allantoic tissues.
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In
the years since the first "test tube baby" was born in
1978, physicians and scientists from RYT Hospital have been working
to develop a viable technique for the successful impregnation of
male individuals. Illustrated to the right is a recent radiographic
image of Mr. Lee, the first human subject to attempt this procedure,
which shows the healthy fetus developing in his abdominal cavity.
Please
note that RYT Hospital is not accepting new patients for this procedure.
Male pregnancy is still in its experimental stage and will not
be available to the public in the immediate future. If you would
like to be notified when we are offering this treatment as a clinical
service, please contact us online.
In
vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques were used to induce an ectopic
pregnancy by implanting an embryo and placenta into the abdominal
cavity, just under the peritoneum (the surrounding lining). Please
read below for the step-by-step process.
- HORMONES
Oral doses of female hormones were administered to Mr. Lee to
make him receptive to the pregnancy. The following graphs of his
hormone treatment were prepared by Simone M. Lowell, M.D., Ph.D.,
Attending Physician and Associate Professor of Biochemistry and
Reproductive Medicine at RYT
Hospital-Dwayne Medical Center. Dr. Lowell's research is one
of the primary reasons that this clinical procedure is now possible.
- IMPLANTATION
IVF techniques were used to induce an ectopic pregnancy by implanting
an embryo and placenta into the abdominal cavity, just under or
into the peritoneum (the surrounding lining). There is a severe
risk of massive hemorrhage when the ectopic ruptures; this is
also the most common cause of women dying in pregnancy.
- EMBRYO
GROWTH
Once implantation was complete, Mr. Lee stopped taking hormones,
because the pregnancy itself, as expected, took over. The embryo
secretes sufficient hormones to maintain its own growth and development.
- GROWTH
OF THE FETUS
The duration of the pregnancy has been surprisingly normal, i.e.
fetal heart monitoring, chorionic villus sampling, ultrasound
scanning (as seen on this web site), and a constant watch over
Mr. Lee's health and his enlarging stomach. "Men, as they grow
older," Dr. Winston of London's Hammersmith Hospital observed
playfully, "have already learned to cope with a steadily expanding
waistline. Granted, well, this is a bit different."
- DELIVERY
The delivery will requires open surgery (Cesarean section) to
remove the baby and the placenta. Removal of the placenta is the
real danger because it forms such intimate connections with surrounding
vessels that massive hemorrhage is likely. Implantation may have
also involved other structures in the abdomen, including the bowel
and it is possible that parts of other organs may need to be removed.
Several physicians who are well-accustomed to advanced and dangerous
forms of ectopic pregnancies will be on-hand to handle any complications.
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