Among the many factors that inhibit fertility in young couples, some, like metabolic health, are well known and others are more recent, said Dr C. Mohamed Ashraf, founder of CRAFT Fertility Centre. He was speaking at a news conference announcing a strategic partnership with Nova IVF Fertility, owned by Asia Healthcare Holdings.
“Among the newer causes are trends driven by education and career choices, where couples postpone pregnancies. While that is a choice, there are other factors that leave the partners with no choice,” Ashraf said. “Covid-19, for example, has added to fertility challenges and detailed studies are being undertaken abroad. The early results are disturbing.”
In the Romanian Journal of Morphology and Embryology, a paper published by Dr Maria Sidonia Săndulescu and others pointed at lesions caused by Covid-19.
The paper said: “After the virus enters the body, the first lesions are produced in the respiratory tract. Extrapulmonary lesions specific to COVID-19 include acute renal lesions/acute kidney damage, hepatocellular lesions, neurological diseases, myocardial dysfunction and arrhythmia, gastrointestinal diseases, but also genital impairment.”
In the Journal of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Cancer Research, Drs Sarah Lotfi and Abbas Ahmadi indicated that “active Covid-19 infection significantly reduces the ratio of testosterone to Luteinizing hormone”. Secreted by the pituitary gland, Luteinizing hormone drives “processes important for puberty, sexual function, reproduction, and sex drive”.
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Ashraf said that newer technologies allow couples to check their reproductive health before they set out to build a family. The checks can flag both individual issues and genetic issues, and addressing these would help the couple avoid the trauma that stems from failed pregnancies, Ashraf said.
“There is also the cost factor,” he added. “For example, a baby with spinal muscular atrophy comes with a potential bill of Rs 18 crore for the Zolgensma injection, which is one of the world's most expensive drugs. But early screening and medical support could give the same couple a healthy baby at a cost of around Rs 5 lakh. Craft has had the honour of gifting nine babies to eight couples with the (SMN1) gene mutation.”
Speaking about the partnership between the institutions, Shobhit Agarwal, CEO of Nova IVF Fertility, said: “This is not another deal in the health care industry. We were drawn to Craft for its academic rigour and clinical credibility. Nova IVF has delivered one lakh successful pregnancies, and we bring with us the most advanced IVF protocols. The fertility market does not need expansion as much as it needs credibility. We are not here to be the biggest, but the most credible one.”
Dr Noushin Abdul Majiyd, director and senior consultant at CRAFT, said that the centre did not stop at supporting couples. “We are a board-certified centre providing a fellowship in reproductive medicine, and we have empowered over 500 doctors who are serving countrywide,” she said.