Here’s my take on fertility treatments

When we are growing up, for most people, the plan  is that at a certain point in life, we will have children. 

Although this is the journey most couples have, the family building story is different for some. There are cases where a young couple, in their twenties fail to get pregnant. Usually after a year, anxiety creeps in. 

About three weeks ago, a woman called and told me that after five years in marriage, she had failed to get pregnant. In our interaction, she revealed she did not know that there  was treatment for infertility until she read some of my articles.  

Later on,  after consultation and various scans she was diagnosed with early menopause. At 28 she was no longer able to produce eggs. This implies that she can never conceive naturally.

In this era where there are daily advancements in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs),  almost everyone can have children. The problem, though, is that most people are still unaware of fertility treatments. It is also paramount to appreciate the fact that the human body comprises various systems which have specific functions. 

And whenever any of these systems fails to execute its tasks, we seek medical intervention. For example, if someone’s cardiovascular system gets diseased, the patient meets a cardiologist for management. In the same way, when the reproductive system fails to meets its obligations, central of which is to reproduce, one ought to meet a specialist (usually a fertility physician) for examination and treatment as opposed to shying away. 

During such consultations some women learn they were born without ovaries, others are told their eggs are old (although the person might not be ), others lose their ovarian function due to chemotherapy, while some realise they cannot produce eggs at some stage in life. There are many reasons as to why one might fail to get pregnant. 

For such patients,  one of the recommended procedures to help them have children is  egg donation. You must realise that not so long ago (even to some people today), the idea that eggs could be transferred from one woman to another was inconceivable! 

However, it is a common practice in fertility treatment today. Thousands of women have tasted the joy of motherhood through carrying donated eggs in their wombs. Also referred to as collaborative reproduction, having children through egg donation is both a medical and psychosocial journey that requires the concerned parties to be prepared psychologically since it involves lifelong consequences.                                             

Arthur Matsiko, [email protected]