MEDICINE Advancements allow victims of paralysis to have children

It costs up to $7,000 for the treatment at Cincinnati fertility centers.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- A dirt bike collision that paralyzed Jaime Kinkade's lower body also crushed his chances of naturally conceiving another child.
But three years after the accident, Kinkade and his wife, Kammie, were able to have a second child because of advancements in in-vitro fertilization technology.
"It's hard to believe isn't it?" Kammie Kinkade said. "My thought was, 'None of this seems natural.' But here we are."
Until recently, men in Jaime Kinkade's condition were out of luck. But experts say rapid advances in fertility technology are making it possible for men with spinal cord injuries to become parents.
The advances also are helping embryos attach to the uterus and allow the testing of embryos of only eight cells for genetic defects.
"There are so many advances on so many fronts," said Dr. Sherif Awadalla, senior partner in Cincinnati's biggest fertility clinic, the Institute for Reproductive Health. "Every six months things are getting better."
Cincinnati's three fertility clinics accounted for about 400 babies born from in-vitro fertilization services performed in 2001, according to the latest data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the region's hospitals deliver about 30,200 babies a year.
Kinkades' story
The Kinkades' story is reflective of the trend.
About a year ago, doctors injected Kammie with daily medications over 17 days to have her generate a dozen eggs in one menstrual cycle. Next, they used a needle to remove tissue from Jaime's testicle.
The tissue allowed doctors to directly inject immature sperm cells into the eggs, which resulted in eight embryos.
Two were implanted in Kammie, and one developed into a healthy girl, Madeline, who was born Nov. 20.
"I feel very blessed and lucky," Jaime said.
About one in six American couples have fertility problems. In addition to in-vitro fertilization, fertility drugs and other treatments are available.
Nationwide, in-vitro services performed in 2001 resulted in more than 40,600 babies born in 2001 and 2002, according to federal health statistics.
Birth rates
In Cincinnati, fertility centers reported live birth rates as high as 40 percent for women under 35 trying to get pregnant using fresh embryos from the woman's eggs. But for women older than 40, success rates dropped to as low as 12 percent.
It costs between $5,000 and $7,000 at area centers to perform a typical procedure -- an attempt at fertilizing an egg and implanting a growing embryo.
Fertility medications can cost another $1,500 to $2,000. Special services such as direct sperm injection, assisted hatching, embryo freezing or genetic testing drive the price up.