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These days a lot of women and couples are facing infertility problems. In India alone, around 14% of women undergo fertility issues. With so many people faced with this problem, there’s a need to normalise the idea of freezing, whether it is eggs, embryos, or sperm. In recent years, the percentage of couples unable to conceive has increased by over 20%.
While there has been a decline in female fertility, a reduction in male fertility has also been observed. India’s healthcare fertility segment too has exponentially grown by 20% Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the last five years and the market is driven by improving healthcare infrastructure and the rising availability of modern healthcare facilities at affordable prices.
A fertile plan
With the fast-paced life that young professionals lead, they want to go ahead and pursue their dreams and careers and maybe sometimes put family planning in the backseat. However, with men and women focusing on their careers, who will think about family planning and kids? We know that with age, women’s reproductive health also starts diminishing. Even the quality and number of eggs reduce. Further, a fast-paced high-pressure job is only adding to the number of infertility cases among young people.
Work from home during Covid-19 can thus be a great time to plan what a couple wants for their future. There are, however, some who believe that starting a family or undergoing fertility treatment during a pandemic might not be the best option, while on the other hand, there are couples who feel this is the best time to start looking into their future and working towards it. For both groups, there are options to start their family when they feel that the time is right. Here are some options for young professionals who want to go ahead and start a family but might be facing fertility issues.
Assisted conception
IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation): A process where eggs are collected from the woman and joined with the sperm which is collected in advance.
IUI (Intra Uterine Insemination): This is commonly known as artificial insemination. The sperm is collected in advance and is then placed into her uterus.
Surgical procedures
Fallopian tube surgery: If the fallopian tubes have got blocked or scarred, one may need surgery to repair them for making the pathway easier for eggs to travel.
Endometriosis, fibroids, and PCOS: Laparoscopic surgery can be done to treat endometriosis by destroying or removing fluid-filled sacs, and for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) laparoscopic ovarian drilling can be used if ovulation medicine has not worked.
Delaying tactics
For young professionals who want to delay their family planning, here are some options that they can consider:
Embryo freezing: This is the most successful way of fertility preservation. It is also called Invitro fertilisation. Embryo freezing is a procedure that allows people to freeze their embryos for later use.
Oocyte (unfertilised egg) freezing: A person can also freeze unfertilised eggs. This procedure is similar to embryo freezing, but the eggs are frozen without being fertilised by the sperm. This is an option for younger women/ women without a male partner at present.
Sperm freezing: For men who want to delay starting a family and might have some problems, sperm freezing is an option. Basically, the sperm is taken from the person itself and it is preserved. The longest time recorded for a sperm to work after being stored is 24 years.
Precautions
After the treatment, there are a few things to remember:
Egg freezing carries no risks, and one may resume daily activities within a week of egg retrieval. There are, however, a few things that every woman should keep in mind throughout this period.
In case you are not planning for conception, unprotected sex is at best avoided.
If you have a high fever, stomach pain, or vaginal bleeding, see the doctor.
Lockdown & IVF
An IVF procedure is a long and delicate procedure. The woman needs to remain calm and very relaxed during her procedure as stress can make it difficult for a woman’s body to accept the procedure. With the lockdown and work from home conditions, an IVF procedure might prove to be more successful as women may get the required rest after the procedure and might be less stressed as there is no travelling to work. One needs to also strike a balance between their work and maintaining good health to stay fertile.
One can try yoga as it has proved to be very beneficial for women to get back on their cycle and in turn also improve fertility. This can be done early in the morning before you sit down for work.
Try and make a routine for yourself so that the body doesn’t have to follow a new
pattern every day.
If recommended by your doctor you may even take pills that might help you with your stress.
Start eating a healthy and balanced diet, and also increase the intake of water, as eating right is very important for a healthy body.
(The author is a Bengaluru-based fertility consultant.)