IVF business blooms in city, but is it regulated?

Ever since 2012, 33-year-old Haritha S (name changed) and her husband have been trying to have a child and, of the six years, they spent five of it trying to conceive through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). It was only after they spent lakhs and even underwent depression, did the couple decide to call it off. 

“The doctor at the IVF clinic kept promising us that it would work even after two unsuccessful attempts. We spent lakhs on each of the attempts and did not get any positive result,” said Haritha. “I even went through severe depression and it affected my husband as well. That’s when we decided to abandon the procedure,” she said.

Besides Haritha, a number of infertile couples in the city claimed that they are made to undergo the procedure more than once with assurances that the next attempt would work out. 

“Each cycle costs between Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh, which is too expensive for most of us,” said another woman, requesting anonymity. She had tried out three IVF cycles in vain. Explaining the IVF procedure, Dr Meenakshi M, a fertility specialist, said, “This artificial technique involves fertilisation by combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish manually and then transferring the embryo to the uterus.” 

While the live birth IVF success rate for women under 35 who start an IVF cycle is 40 per cent, most women who do not have a successful pregnancy after the first cycle tend to drop out. Stating that infertility is a growing problem in the state, Dr Jaishree Gajraj, a senior obstetrician, said, “Environmental factors, occupation, alcohol consumption, smoking and substance abuse are the main reasons for infertility in men. 

On the other hand, for women, trying to conceive at a later age which results in conditions like endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory diseases, unprotected sexual activities etc. lead to infertility. Besides, heightened stress levels also cause infertility among couples.”

While the procedure has been considered a boon for those unable to conceive naturally, most people are aware about it because IVF clinics have been mushrooming across the city and most of it are run unethically, claimed experts. 

With over 25 per cent women and around 30 per cent men in the state reported to be infertile, the need for Assisted Reproductive technologies (ART) has been growing. But, less than 20 per cent IVF clinics in the state are registered with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), said another fertility specialist Dr Priya Selvaraj. 

“The ART Bill was introduced to streamline the IVF business. We had been working on the Bill since 2002. Despite it being introduced last year, the rules are still being implemented. In our country, there needs to be a 10year trial before anything can be adopted as a standard procedure,” said Dr  Selvaraj. “We are at a stage where new proposals are introduced every year. It is, therefore, mandatory to have a regulation in place. Without such a Bill, there are chances of a lot of malpractices that are already taking place in Tamil Nadu,” the doctor said. 

“Even after the Bill came into effect, it will take several years before it is fully implemented across all centres,” she added. Only 40 clinics in the state, and 20 within the city, are registered under the ICMR till date. “It should be made mandatory for all clinics to send their data online to the regulatory body. Only then can the IVF practice be regulated in our country. As of now, we do see a lot of under the table dealings, which need to be checked,” said Dr Meenakshi. 

Stating that there is no limit in the number of IVF cycles a woman needs to go through, Dr Madhupriya A, Fertility Consultant at Nova IVI Fertility, said, “The process involves a lot of problems, the largest being that of depression and a hit on finances.  The average number of cycles women go through is three. It is therefore important for the doctor to try and identify the problem for infertility first before proceeding with IVF.” 

Understanding the increasing demand for IVF facility in the state, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said, “We have realised that many childless couples cannot afford IVF treatment in private centres, hence, a proposal in this regard, has been submitted to start IVF facilities in five government hospitals, including one in Madurai and Chennai. In fact, an official order was passed in 2016 to start a centre in Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital.”