Infertility: How IVF is restoring lost hope in marriages

Childlessness in Nigeria and other parts of Africa usually brings so much pain to affected couples as they suffer all kinds of humiliation and discrimination.

This challenge has led to the collapse of well-established marriages and homes in some cases due to pressure from family members and friends and then, blame game on the part of the couples themselves.

Though children are said to be gifts from God, women are usually blamed in this part of the world for childlessness in the home, hence, they are meted with ill treatment from their husbands’ family members plus cultural afflictions.

According to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in Uganda for instance, women are not accepted by society unless they have a child.

In Nigeria, the discrimination is also alarming even as report shows that cases of infertility are on the rise in the country as one in four couples have fertility challenges.

However, with the advancement in science and technology, the narrative of childlessness and infertility among couples has changed, following the discovery of assisted reproductive techniques such as In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).

Findings by The Daily Times showed that many Nigerian fertility- challenged couples who ignored the myths and misconception about IVF and embraced the scientific method of conception early enough, are today happy mothers and fathers .

In spite of the various challenges that they went through after many years of waiting without conception, some of the couples who shared their experiences with this reporter said they were grateful to God for being called “mummies” and “daddies” by their own children like others.

” Thank God today, we have children we can proudly call our own. Having them through IVF does not matter. The most important thing is that today, we now have children that call us mummies and daddies. More so, that the era of mockery and pressures from families and friends concerning our challenges is over,” they said.

Mrs Obierika Uju, who could not hide her joy said:”Those calling me all sorts of names, and even accusing me of enjoying flat tummy could no longer face me since I had a baby boy.

” I give God the glory that today, there is a cry of baby in my home. The constant harassment from my husband’s family is gone for ever because they saw me carried him for nine months.”

Another happy parent, Mr. Omoz Evborokhai, who also shared his success story, told this reporter that based on his personal experience as a father of IVF child, IVF babies are normal as normal can be and can compete with other children in school and other spheres of life.

“We can testify of the remarkable progress our children are making and the world’s first IVF baby Louisa Brown is now a mother herself and doing well.

“In other societies like India and other advanced societies, IVF babies are celebrated and we should do same,” he said.

According to Evborokhai who is President of Fertility Awareness Advocate Initiative (FAAI), a non-profit support group, there is need for people to know that there is hope at the end of the tunnel and that they can have babies through legitimate processes.

Experts say that IVF is used to treat infertility in patients with blocked or damaged fallopian tubes,male factor infertility including decreased sperm count or sperm motility, women with ovulation disorders, premature ovarian failure, uterine fibroids. Also, women who have had their fallopian tubes removed, individuals with a genetic disorder and unexplained infertility.

Again, IVF had long been established to be the most efficacious means of overcoming infertility especially when the woman’s fallopian tubes were blocked and the best option for treating male infertility.

Evborokhai, therefore, urged couples experiencing fertility challenges to embrace IVF treatment and disregard the myths and misconceptions associated with IVF babies.

Since the technology was introduced in 1978 with the birth of Louise Brown in England, over five million IVF babies have been born globally while Nigeria has recorded over 4,000 babies through the technology.

Though many successful couples have said that IVF treatment is restoring lost hope in fertility-challenged marriages, others identified high cost as a barrier to accessing the treatment. The situation is further exacerbated by the lack of support women face, both emotional and financial.

Speaking to this reporter, Medical Director/CEO, Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos, Dr Abayomi Ajayi, affirmed that having children is the ultimate goal for most married couples.

“Nothing compares with the joy of hearing your baby cry for the first time at childbirth or carrying your child in your arms for the first time, both men and women want to pass on their legacies.

“A failure to conceive is a major stress for couples and can wreak havoc in families. The inability to conceive can be devastating,humiliating and emotionally excruciating”, he stated.

According Ajayi, the issue of infertility is more common than most people think.

He explained: “One in every four couples experience infertility issues and find it very difficult to discuss it with families and friends or even seek help from fertility centres.”

Ajayi, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, explained that couples with the problem and desiring to have children can seek alternative reproductive techniques to achieve their dreams.

With advancement in medicine, Ajayi said that it was possible for couples with fertility problems to have their own children through various assisted reproductive techniques such as IVF.

Another fertility expert, Dr Babatunde Ogunkinle, who enjoined fertility-challenged couples to seek IVF treatment, assured that the technology was the most efficacious means of overcoming infertility especially when the woman’s fallopian tubes were blocked and the best option for treating male infertility.

He, however, said that the success rate was determined by the age of the woman, condition of the sperm, coexisting uterine pathology like fibroids, polyps, scars in the uterus, condition of the laboratory, reason for the treatment and expertise of the team.

Worried about affordability,some fertility-challenged couples who spoke with The Daily Times,urged the federal government to give them the opportunity to have their own children by reducing the cost of IVF treatment.

Angela Onwuzoo