Helping or Exploiting? A good question indeed. We have so much data, but can it really help us? How should data influence are decisions? Will we get different outcomes? Where is the link between big data statistics and actual outcomes? What about when it isn’t accurate? What will it take into account? Are we just more overwhelmed with the information and options?
A recent article asks these questions about an upcoming company that is taking big data to the world of reproduction and infertility. Whether this company in specifics or the idea in general, we have good reason to be cautiously optimistic as the article reports.
The reality is all the data is still not a guarantee. While the data product featured in this article does sound promising, in the words of Hasidah Advisor Dr. Brian Levine, it is still a “a highly refined Ouija board.”
Ladies (and gentlemen), reproduction has reached Silicon Valley. Advances are great, data *may* help make certain decisions if you know what is important to you and the limits of that data and your own body. We will all keep an eye on this balance of help and exploitation. After all, Dr. Levine adds as a helpful caution,“ We’re talking about the most sensitive topic I can think of: your fertility and your ability to reproduce.”