Hi arda 
from the UK. Have you created an Introduction thread so we can get to know you?
To your post, I haven't had time to look up the specific facts but there are common themes here of which you may be unaware. Some Ecuadorian doctors may well believe that God is the decider for success of IVF however it's improbable that there's evidence to suggest so. In fact, intercessory prayer has been debunked in many different ways, many times. I'm sure if the specific stats in question were assessed, there would be no significant difference in the success rates for praying groups, non-praying groups or either groups in other countries where the same IVF methods are employed. You're likely to find that it depends entirely on the known medical factors: the type of technology, the state of the medical services, the application/methodology employed, the condition of ova & sperm, maternal health (including existing medical conditions) & nutrition and more.
Regarding the place they go to pray, I'd encourage you to review statistics of attendance at Lourdes where every year, thousands of sick people go to receive healing from God via the spirit of St. Bernadette. Recovery rates are lower than normal (where recovery is possible) and no impossible recoveries (e.g. growing back amputated limbs) are recorded. Doctors consider this to be suggestive of a negative placebo effect, whereby knowledge that intercession is occurring places additional stress on the ill thus prolonging their recovery or even worsening their condition. This may well be the case in Ecuador, too.
Any claims to the efficacy of prayer are most likely a result of confirmation bias, where people inflate the importance of data which supports their preconceived positions and disregard data which doesn't.
from the UK. Have you created an Introduction thread so we can get to know you?To your post, I haven't had time to look up the specific facts but there are common themes here of which you may be unaware. Some Ecuadorian doctors may well believe that God is the decider for success of IVF however it's improbable that there's evidence to suggest so. In fact, intercessory prayer has been debunked in many different ways, many times. I'm sure if the specific stats in question were assessed, there would be no significant difference in the success rates for praying groups, non-praying groups or either groups in other countries where the same IVF methods are employed. You're likely to find that it depends entirely on the known medical factors: the type of technology, the state of the medical services, the application/methodology employed, the condition of ova & sperm, maternal health (including existing medical conditions) & nutrition and more.
Regarding the place they go to pray, I'd encourage you to review statistics of attendance at Lourdes where every year, thousands of sick people go to receive healing from God via the spirit of St. Bernadette. Recovery rates are lower than normal (where recovery is possible) and no impossible recoveries (e.g. growing back amputated limbs) are recorded. Doctors consider this to be suggestive of a negative placebo effect, whereby knowledge that intercession is occurring places additional stress on the ill thus prolonging their recovery or even worsening their condition. This may well be the case in Ecuador, too.
Any claims to the efficacy of prayer are most likely a result of confirmation bias, where people inflate the importance of data which supports their preconceived positions and disregard data which doesn't.
Sum ergo sum
