The fertility clinic at the national referral hospital has enabled 20 couples conceive since its opening in 2016. The clinic provides two types of treatments- Ovulation Induction (OI) and Intrauterine Insemination (IUI).
Ovulation Induction is treating women with drugs to increase their chances of producing eggs, while Intrauterine Insemination is placing sperm inside a woman’s uterus for fertilization.
This year alone, the clinic has made it possible for five couples to conceive. Last year, 18 couples conceived with the help of OI and IUI treatments.
The recorded success rate is minimal, but the actual rate is thought to be higher. The figures released include only those who reported to the clinic.
Sister Geeta at the clinic says not many couples report when they conceive.
A gynecologist with the hospital, Dr Ugyen Tshomo, said sometimes women do not show up for full cycle treatment, which also affects the success rate.
Other times, the clinic runs short of drugs, affecting treatments.
“The success rate for IO and IUI is around 30 per cent after three cycles. One cycle is not enough. If a woman is undergoing treatment, she should at least try three to four cycles,” Dr Ugyen Tshomo said.
“When we talk about success rate in infertility treatment, we call it a success only if a woman takes home a baby. Getting pregnant and having miscarriage is not considered success. So, take home baby rate in IVF is around 40 per cent only even in the best of institutions in the region,” she added.
The clinic examines two types of sub fertility- primary and secondary.
Primary sub fertility refers to cases in which couples do not conceive even after years of marriages. Secondary infertility is failure to conceive after the first child or a miscarriage.
Although the treatments help conception, it does come with associated risks. Sometimes, a woman lands up carrying multiple babies.
There are also complications of babies attaching outside the uterus, which is called ectopic pregnancy.
Though rare, there is another complication called heteropic pregnancy where babies are attached both outside and inside the uterus.
“We always give women drugs to produce many eggs and that has a side effect called over stimulation, which is quite dangerous,” Dr Ugyen Tshomo said.
“The complication is they might have more babies. We call it multiple pregnancies. They have twins or sometimes even triplets. It’s a complication if a woman is carrying twins or three babies. The likelihood of her not going to nine months is less. Sometimes, they have miscarriages. Sometimes, they have preterm babies, with babies dying because they are preterm.”
Dr Ugyen Tshomo also added the causes of infertility are beyond a man’s inability to produce enough sperms or a woman’s failure to produce eggs.
“If the male partner is taking too much hot bath or working in bakeries or places where temperature is very high, that also affects semen quality. There might also be hormones in the food that we eat. In the west, that seems to be one reason for male infertility. Stress is another factor. Stress in both the partners can affect fertility. Overweight people might have diabetes and diabetes affects fertility.”
Obesity too affects fertility. “In women, if they are overweight, they usually have problems with menstruation. They do not have menstruation every month, so that is how obesity affects fertility.”
If the couples do not conceive after three cycles of intrauterine insemination, they are advised to seek In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). But the clinic does not give this treatment. For IVF, the patients have to go abroad.
The fertility clinic sees about five patients every day. It received more than 300 patients so far since its opening in August 2016.
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