"Three person baby"

So I think a better term might be called for here because "three person baby" just sounds... bizarre, but the science behind mitochondrial donation is pretty amazing. 

There's an article on bbc.com today about the first baby born with the DNA of three people. This techniques allows parents to have genetic children and avoid known genetic defects by using the mitochondria of a donor. That's a very, very basic description. 

I think I kind of take all the science stuff for granted until I read something like this and then I take a moment to let my mind be blown away. A cell is microscopic and somehow people much smarter than myself have figured out how to take tiny drops of genetic information and swap it out? I learned a lot about the human reproductive system during my years on IF Island and while I had moments of being amazed at how doctors can create a baby from scratch, my focus was much more on my emotional landscape at the time. But OMG, right? 

People ask, 'what does this mean?' and I think they mean ethically, or for the child born-- What I gather it means is that the baby will have 0.1% of the DNA from a donor and will have dodged some genetic bullets that can be life threatening. But I get that there is more to think about.

When science blows my mind, I often think of my grandma. She passed away just before my sister donated eggs to us and I remember trying to explain the process of IVF and egg donation to her. My grams was very open minded about all of this stuff, but she honestly did not know where babies came from. My grandparents got married, they spent the night together, my grandpa went off to war and nine months later my aunt was born. That's where babies come from. When I tried to explain what a  follicle was and what the injectables were supposed to do and how I was hoping to carry a baby created from my sister and my husband, my grandma thought nothing of it. Her mind was boggled by the science of it, of course, but really all she thought about was when I'd finally have my baby. 

So I guess when I read this stuff I just see the potential and what it can mean for struggling families. It will be exciting to see what the next 10-20 years brings. 

Comments

[C]

I heard of this on NPR a while back and was interested. You summed it up nicely. I do have to quibble with saying doctors create a baby from scratch. Wish they could but we all know from experience we and the doctors are not in control of whether a baby will be born in the end. For me, it's God's miracle still, even with ART. I have also heard doctors are working on uterus transplants. Can you believe it?!

[Jojo]

I am inspired by the science. My comment would be a lot longer but Pamela summed it up nicely :)

[Pamela]

More and more people seem to be struggling. A huge percentage of the people I know have had difficulties. And not just because we / they are waiting until a bit later in life -- but also, sure, because of that. I probably would have had no trouble if I'd started at 23 instead of 33. (Of course, when I was 23, I was off seeing the world on a shoestring budget -- something I'd never "take back"!)

Biology is really a pain in the ass. Just when women have finally been given the autonomy to do a million things besides settle down and have kids right out of college -- and we're given a golden chance to grow and explore and mature until we feel so ready and excited to be moms -- biology kicks so many of us in the ass.

I have a feeling in another generation, egg freezing / donation will just be a normal option. It makes sense. Young women are at the peak of their fertility but often don't want kids. Older women are sooooo ready but it's more likely something will go wrong. (In my case apple-sized endometriomas on both ovaries, requiring both to be sliced and diced in surgery.)

It just seems like the logical next step. But interesting how our whole conception of "family trees" and whatnot will have to be modified if it becomes normalized.

I'm fine with it -- genetics are less than half the story in my mind -- but it's interesting to think about. It's also interesting watching shows like Game of Thrones based on old-fashioned obsessions with "blood lines," etc. How things change in a few hundred years!