What are the potential drawbacks in adoption of the IVF method?

A.   High fatality risk to mother

B.   Expensive instruments and reagents

C.   Husband/wife necessary for being donors

D.   Less adoption of orphans

E.   Not available in India

F. Possibility that the early embryo does not survive

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

To answer the question, we need to identify which of the listed statements are genuine drawbacks when adopting the In‑Vitro Fertilization (IVF) method.

Option A – “High fatality risk to mother”

IVF is a controlled medical procedure performed under strict clinical standards. While there are risks such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, the mortality rate for the mother is extremely low and is not considered a major drawback of IVF. Therefore, this statement is not a correct drawback.

Option B – “Expensive instruments and reagents”

IVF requires specialized laboratory equipment (incubators, micromanipulators, culture media) and costly consumables (hormonal drugs, culture media, cryoprotectants). The high financial cost is widely reported as a significant barrier to wider adoption. This statement correctly describes a drawback.

Option C – “Husband/wife necessary for being donors”

Modern IVF programs allow the use of donor sperm, donor eggs, or even third‑party embryos. The requirement that the husband or wife must be the donor is not a universal limitation. Hence, this is not a valid drawback.

Option D – “Less adoption of orphans”

“Orphans” in the IVF context refer to embryos that are not transferred and remain unused. Ethical, legal, and logistical challenges often limit the use or adoption of such orphan embryos, making this a recognized drawback of the IVF process.

Option E – “Not available in India”

IVF clinics have been operating in India for many years, with numerous accredited centers across the country. Therefore, unavailability in India is inaccurate.

Option F – “Possibility that the early embryo does not survive”

Even under optimal laboratory conditions, a proportion of embryos fail to develop beyond the early cleavage stages or do not implant successfully. This risk of early embryonic loss is a well‑documented limitation of IVF.

Summarizing the valid drawbacks:

• High cost of equipment and reagents (B)
• Challenges related to the adoption of orphan embryos (D)
• Risk that early embryos may not survive (F)

Thus, the correct set of drawbacks is “B, D, F only”.