Friday, December 9, 2011

Can’t get pregnant? Try IVF


Have you and your spouse been trying to conceive for a while? If you have answered yes, but are facing medical complications and do not know  how to get around them, IVF could be your answer. Just like B’town couple Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao, you could try Invitro fertilisation to start a family. Here’s more about the procedure.

According to Dr. Firuza Parikh, Fertility Expert, Jaslok Hospital says, "IVF is not merely a science, it is also a meticulous art. You look into the little details, work with nature instead of trying to outsmart it and always strive towards improving pregnancy rates”.

The beginnings
IVF as an option is swinging it’s way up, ever since the first ‘test tube baby’ ( that’s the colloquial term for IVF babies since the fertilisation takes place in a glass tube), developed by Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards, came about. Closer home Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhya, gave India its first test tube baby called Durga and things have never been quite the same. A lot of aggressive marketing of the specifics are giving millions of hopefuls a chance to be ‘mothers’
How is it done?
IVF involves fertilising egg cells with sperms outside of the womb; the fertilised egg is then put back into the women’s uterus and the pregnancy is allowed to go into its full term. Success rates have improved over the last decade (about 50% of women who opt for IVF go home with a baby); treatment options have expanded and facilities have improved.

The downside
It’s invasive, exhausting both physically and mentally. “With all that pain, I wasn’t sure I needed a baby” says a patient. Then there’s the financial bit. IVF is costly. And insurance companies don’t always cover it. Birth defects, multiple pregnancies that reduce the chances of a full term labour and compromise with the health of each baby are the other side of the IVF story.

IVF is not just a medical miracle, there’s more to it. For one, it’s ‘empowering’. It gives you more options. For women who are career-oriented and who don’t want to listen to their biological clocks, IVF allows them to freeze their eggs and use them later. Don’t have a partner, still want to be a mom? No problem. Donor sperms come in handy. IVF has made it possible for women to even choose when to have a baby!

Effective Living Clinic
B-3/19, 0:1, Sector 3, Vashi
Navi Mumbai 400703
Tel: 9987223811 / 9969105310
www.effectivelivingclinic.com