A child brings happiness to not only the couple, but the entire family. To have a child is still considered the most predictable step after a couple ties the knot. Of course some of the younger generation may think otherwise. But the matter of the fact is we live in a society where couples desire to have babies and being labeled as infertile causes huge psychological burden and may make some people emotionally vulnerable.
Advances in science including Assisted Reproductive Technique (ART) of which IVF is a part has brought smiles of millions of couples with aspirations. That makes this an exciting horizon. It was the birth of the first IVF baby in England on 25 July 1978 which opened up a ray of hope for millions across the World.
In the Indian context, the rising level of infertility not only in the urban but rural areas is a concern which needs to be addressed. The desire in modern couples to work more, postpone the decision to have babies, increase the age of marriage, rising alcohol and tobacco consumption, increased prevalence of PCOS is a trend we all are witnessing. On the other hand there is a shortage of IVF specialists’ embryologists in India. Although the outcomes may not be on the higher side currently, continued research and advancements in IVF techniques will improve them in the future. What is needed is awareness, empathy, concern and ethical practices and this is exactly what we are doing at our IVF department.