.Couple welcomes first baby 11 years after
Regardless of whatever anyone thinks about Invitro Fertilisation, IVF, providence has used it to bless some couples whose stories have inspired those trying to conceive. In this report by IJEOMA UKAZU, she tells the story of one such couple:
Experts said every 1 in 4 couples in Nigeria is infertile and that infertility may arise from one factor or a combination of factors.
Today, there are so many couples even within the family circuit, living with infertility but are not being open in order to receive the needed assistance so as to achieve conception.
However, there are some couples like Carol and Prince Arheghan who have come out to tell their remarkable IVF success story to help lift up the spirit of couples trying to conceive and perhaps change people’s perspectives about IVF.
Carol who shared her story in a zoom interview organised by Nordica Fertility Center recently in Lagos is targeted to bring awareness to couples that no matter how old or how hopeless, there is still hope for them.
While sharing her story Carol said she got married in 2010 and like any other couple, she was expected to get pregnant and have babies naturally after one year but this was not her case.
After fours years of marriage and no conception, Carol’s journey to seek help started as she visited random hospitals for tests which always come out with the good news that all is well with her reproductive organs.
She said, “I didn’t live a wayward life and same with my husband. We both got married as virgins. I couldn’t understand why the delay in conception. I was advised not to be anxious that pregnancy would come.”
Yet no pregnancy after five years, she continued, “This time, we decided to run some test on both my husband and myself. The result showed some causes and immediately, medications were given to us to boost the chances of getting pregnant. Still, it was not working.”
But as time progresses and no conception six years after, the couple decided to sort for a fertility expert opinion and was directed through a friend to Nordica Fertility Center. Though skeptical about the idea, Carol a pastor, felt, conceiving through, IVF, was a “sin before God”.
Despite counseling from the fertility clinic, her perception about IVF didn’t change, even as the medical team told her Invitro Fertilisation was her only option but the couple was not financially buoyant at the time.
Carol said, “At the ninth year of our marriage with much convincing from my husband and the fertility center, we started saving some money. It took us one year to put funds together for the first IVF procedure. Unfortunately, the embryo stopped developing at the lab. This sad news felt like my whole world crumbled. I cried for the efforts being put in and the money spent.
“At the end of 2020, my husband and I went back for another procedure but this time through the Ibidunni Ighadalo Foundation. Right there we discovered that Nordica center was selected among the fertility clinics, we mentioned to them that we already have a history with the center and were transferred to them. Then in between January and February 2021, then in May, the embryo transfer was done, it was successful and now I have my baby,” the elated mother said.
The Ibidunmi Ighodalo Foundation, IIF, 40at40 Project is targeted towards helping 40 couples have their own babies in accordance with the wish of the late founder, Mrs. Ibidunni Ighodalo to award 40 couples In-Vitro Fertilisation grants.
As one of the facilities the foundation partnered with; Nordica Fertility Center welcomed her first success story from Mrs. Carol Arheghan, a beneficiary of the foundation registered with the center.
Still filled with joy, the husband to Carol and also a clergy, Prince Arheghan, said, though it was a long journey but ended well.
According to Prince, “From the onset, I had no issues with the procedure but it took my wife a long time. I was patient to wait until she comes to the point of acceptance.”
He adds, “The baby has brought unquantifiable joy and light to us, the entire extended family, and our friends. This has opened our eyes to the fact that your success story is not personal but for everyone especially those who are trying to conceive. This is an encouragement that IVF can work and bring forth the joy, fulfillment, and dreams of couples to the limelight.”
Prince said, “Nordica Center really handled our case like a family and was ready to give us a discount if we wanted a second fertilisation before the foundation came to our rescue.”
According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, estimates that 186 million individuals live with infertility globally. In African countries, 32 percent of couples are dealing with infertility. The stigma associated with the inability to conceive is much, and some couples tend to experience depression and trauma while trying to conceive.
The Medical Director, Nordica Fertility Center, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi said there are several reasons responsible for infertility among men and women, advising family members not to blame the issue of infertility on the women alone.
“As soon as a couple discovers that they are having issues with conceiving after one year of unprotected sex, they should seek professional help from experts in the medical line.
“When couples are armed with the right information and guidance, the root of the problem will be discovered on time. Rather for some couples to seek for professional counsel, they will be visiting one religious center to another.”
While advising couples on treatment options, Dr. Ajayi said, “If I had to advise any couple seeking assisted reproduction technique, I’ll most likely ask them to choose the treatment option which maximizes their chances of conceiving quickly. This is so because traditional treatment for infertility usually involved a logical step-wise approach. First, a diagnosis is made to find out what the problem is.
“Next, an attempt is made to try to fix it using a progressively escalating approach. Medications are tried first. If this fails, surgery is tried and if this too fails, then do we go on to Intrauterine Insemination, IUI, and if this ultimately fails, and the patient is still not fed up, we go in for IVF.
“While all this is logical, and looks great on paper, the fact remains that it often does not work out well in real life. The approach is time-consuming, and patients get fed up and drop out of treatment rather than move on to the next step. This can be a real tragedy because these are often patients who could have achieved pregnancy with IVF. This approach might be reasonable for some couples, but you cannot use a “one size fits all” approach.”
The Nordica Medical Director said the point here is that there is a price you pay for everything, and the price you pay for this sort of methodical logical approach is an opportunity cost.
Experts said that IVF involves several steps from — ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, sperm retrieval, fertilization, and embryo transfer. One cycle of IVF can take about two to three weeks. More than one cycle may be needed.
It can take up to six weeks to complete a cycle of IVF from start to finish, as once your embryo transfer is completed you also have to factor in the ‘two-week wait’ before you can take a pregnancy test and know the outcome of your IVF cycle.