Baby's tragic death showcases need for upper limit for ART pregnancies

The tragic death of a 45-day-old baby born to a couple aged over 70 in Kerala highlights the need to impose an upper age limit for women undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatments like In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).

Apart from the health of the prospective mother, the ability of aged parents to take care of babies and the future of the child are the major concerns. Many aged couples who go for ART treatment for babies often face non-cooperation and resistance from relatives.

Experts working in the field said that even as there are ICMR guidelines discouraging infertility treatment on women above 50 since it was not banned by law many hospitals were still resorting to such practices which earn huge revenue also.

If it is a 71-year old woman who lost her 45-year old baby girl due to aspiration reportedly after milk stuck on her throat the other day, Kerala had witnessed a similar instance in 2004. A 62-year-old woman gave birth to a baby boy through ART and it had then hit the headlines as ART was only gaining popularity in Kerala those days. But the child died at the age of two after falling into a bucket of water. That incident had also triggered the need for imposing upper age limits for women to undergo ARTs and some major hospitals are learnt to be discouraging women aged above 50 from undergoing ARTs.

Dr Sabine Sivadas, who has been carrying out infertility treatment for quite a long time, told DH that at least the age limits prescribed for adopting children should be made applicable for ARTs. The age limits for adoptive parents are quite a rationale as it was fixed to ensure the ability of parents to take proper care of children. Since there is no age limit fixed for ART treatment, private hospitals also often come under pressure to provide ART treatment to aged women, he said adding that he often discourages women above 50-55 years from pursuing it.

A doctor of the Alappuzha Medical College who was among those who took the delivery of the 71-year-old woman said that after the news of her delivery got wide publicity there were severe criticisms, especially concerns over the child's future. The doctor also said on the condition of anonymity that since the couple were in their 70s and having age-related health issues, they could have limitations in taking care of a newborn. The woman did ART treatment at some private hospital.

Dr Sivadas also said that in many cases he had noticed a lack of cooperation of relatives of aged couples who turned up for ART treatment. It could be not just due to social stigma, but also due to concerns over the arrival of new inherent for the wealth of the aged couple.