Need to remove stigma around IVF and make it affordable

By Express News Service

On July 24, the eve of World IVF Day, the Integrated Health and Wellbeing (IHW) Council, and Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited, organised the second edition of India IVF Summit with the theme ‘Addressing India’s hidden infertility struggles’, on Saturday.

Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor of Telangana and Puducherry, who was the chief guest at the summit, said, “It is concerning to know that around 15 per cent of the couples in our country are finding it difficult to plan the family due to infertility. Family and friends suggest various ways to have a baby, but most of them are unscientific and can be harmful to health. Many studies show fertility rate in India has dropped and reached the replacement rate of 2.1. I believe that a wider reach of fertility treatment by popularising it and making it affordable is a key intervention for empowering women.”

Infertility is a trauma that affects families and disrupts their equation with the society at large. Soundararajan, who is herself a gynaecologist, even agreed to take the appeal of doctors to cover these options in the government’s flagship Ayushman Bharat programme. “I will also appeal to the PM and union health minister to bring infertility under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana,” she added. She even urged the medical, pharma, and social sector to come together and make dedicated efforts to democratise fertility treatment options.

The World Health Organization has also identified infertility as a disease as it is taking a toll on physical, mental, and social health of millions of couples and individuals.

Noting the role of basic nutrition in improving fertility status, Dr Firuza Parikh, Director, Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai, said, “Studies have shown that women with low anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) will not suffer if we wait for about six months during the IVF. At a macrocosmic level, it is not just infertility, we have to also treat lack of education of the women, making sure the women and the children and the family is getting vitamins, supplements, and sunshine. Not everyone who is infertile or is trying for a baby needs IVF.”

Experts said there is a need to look for simpler interventions such as vitamin D, B12, folic acid. For diseases like thalassaemia, there is a need to do carrier screening, something which is not available elsewhere, so a basic IVF can be done and this will cut down risk and time. “We need to concentrate on what is making IVF so expensive,” said Parikh.

Dr Manish Banker, Medical Director, Nova IVF Fertility, Delhi, believes there is a need to remove the stigma that IVF babies are unusual from normal babies. “We have groups talking about cancer survivors and transplants, but there is no such group that talks about IVF,” he added.

As a part of its CSR initiative, Bharat Serums & Vaccines has also supported free IVF treatments of 50 needy couples in association with ISAR (Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction). “BSV has also rolled out financial support to its employees in need of IVF or ART treatment since IVF is not directly covered by any insurance firm. We are into R&D so that the cost can be improved,” added Sanjiv Navangul, Managing Director & CEO, Bharat Serums & Vaccines Limited.