Need to counter myths about fertility options

This article is written by Dr Puneet Rana Arora, Gynaecologist & fertility specialist (IVF), Centre for Infertility & Assisted Reproduction (CIFAR)

Fertility is one area in which there is a lot of scope for patients or advice seekers to get misled by rumours or fallacies.

Therefore, the need for educating people on the nuances of fertility cannot be understated.

The most common myth that people have is that visiting a fertility clinic means that they would be forced into an In vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure. Whereas, data at our Centre for Infertility & Assisted Reproduction (CIFAR) shows that in eight out of ten cases, conception can be achieved through non-IVF techniques.

Another important misconception I notice is complexities around IVF procedure . In many cases, the first question that a couple asks me is whether it is a painful procedure. We need to calm their anxieties and explain that there is no reason to presume that assisted reproductive technology involves painful procedures and unnecessary injections.

Apart from this, having the right mental frame is also very important to conceive a baby. Many times we see a hesitation in couples to discuss their problem. Though things are changing with time, even today consulting a fertility expert is taboo in some communities.

So when couples come to us, we try to gauge how stressed they are. Apart from medicine, fertility treatment is also linked to the mental state of the couple for which we sometimes recommend yoga, meditation or psychology sessions.

We need to educate couples that if they are not mentally feeling right, they should talk. We give them a questionnaire to assess the depression and anxiety level. The questionnaire give us their DASS – depression, anxiety and stress score.

An important medium for empowerment of professional, single women is the facility of egg freezing. This technology has come as a big boon as it liberates women from the pressure of compromising with careers to get married during peak reproductive age. The procedure enables them to take informed or late decision about settling down in life and expanding a family.

Egg freezing requires a high-level of expertise and this is the reason why women should consult only experienced and licensed consultants and fertility centres. Sometimes people get misled by quacks or offers to save money and are pushed into opting for inferior quality facilities that can result in damage to eggs or the ovaries.

Indian IVF experts have established a brand for themselves in the global arena and egg freezing done in the country is not only of international quality but also competitively priced. In India, an egg freezing procedure costs between Rs 150,000 to Rs 200,000 whereas a similar procedure costs around $12,000-$15,000 (Rs 1,200,000). This is the reason why many NRIs come to us from Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US.

Knowledge about the medical condition or the disease you are having and being able to cope up with that is also a big empowerment tool for people with fertility issues.

I think with reproductive window of women narrowing in urban areas, as women plan to conceive babies late in life, there is a need to educate people that if they face problems in late life conception they should consider consulting a fertility specialist who are gynaecologist with special and advanced training of reproductive health and Infertility.

For example, if a couple goes to their family gynaecologist, they may not have the required infrastructure in managing infertility which is a mandate as per new ART law and in turn they end up referring to fertility specialist.

This a very important piece of information for working women as I have noticed that the age of women in fertility clinics has increased from 28 to 34-35, as everybody is coming late. At this age, they may need more specialised advise and ideally consult fertility experts straight away or have a combined care under their family gynaecologist and fertility expert.