In a bid to provide specialised care options for Nigerian women, Bridge Clinic, one of the leading fertility centres, has announced the celebration of over 3000 Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) live births since its inception 23 years ago.
ART refers to fertility treatments and procedures that can help people who are having difficulty or are unable to conceive children.
It includes, among other things, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
According to Babatunde Ogunniran, Head of clinic, Lagos business unit, Bridge Clinic, one of the major challenges facing IVF procedures in Nigeria is regulation.
“We are having a lot of people coming up and not following regulations because there are no regulations generally for fertility practice in Nigeria,” Ogunniran said at World Fertility Day, with a children’s party themed “The Incredible”.
Ogunniran also raised concern about issues concerning health care financing as another major hindrance obstructing Nigeria’s health sector.
“Fertility is not financed in Nigeria,” he said. “It is not something that most health insurance organisations in Nigeria will cover.”
He said: “there are challenges as regards fertility practices generally worldwide, success rate among other factors. But we have been able to surmount all these couples’ challenges.”
Rose Ogbeche, General Manager, Bridge Clinic, said “Infertility, according to the World Health Organisation, is a disease. It should be handled as every disease we know.”
Ogbeche stated that one of the reasons why people are not embracing ART is stigmatisation.
“There has been a lot of stigma on infertility and it is really not encouraging people going through this to come out early to seek care,” she said. “Especially for the woman as they have a biological clock.”
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“So we are using the world fertility day to create awareness that there is hope for a lot of people that are going through fertility challenges.”
In addition, some parents who became ambassadors to Bridge Clinic gave their testimonies at the event.
Ifeoma Emekwue, the first patient to give birth through ART in the clinic, said she was without a child for six years before going through the procedure.
“I was introduced to Bridge Clinic’s Founder by a friend when he was just setting up. So I was the first patient.”
She said: “the first cycle conceived and had a set of twins (a boy and a girl).”
On the other hand, Ifeyinwa Kpajie, another ambassador to the clinic, said her family got to know the clinic in 2001, eight years after her marriage without a child.
The ambassador said: “we eventually have four kids through the ART procedures with the clinic. But my fifth child was born naturally.”
Kpajie further encouraged couples having similar issues to not be ashamed of their challenges, “everything involving the ART procedure is safe,” she claimed.
Building on the above statement, Ogbeche said, “every family deserves a child.”
