By Abhishek Aggrawal
Infertility is raging on to becoming a pandemic not only in India but globally as well. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is the most untreated disease, bearing the third- largest disease burden globally. Infertility affects one out of six couples in India, making it challenging to embrace parenthood without medical intervention. However, what is even more alarming is that out of the 2.8-3 crore Indian couples suffering from infertility, only 1% come forward and seek medical help, thereby adding on to the increasing disease burden. Low awareness about the condition, high cost of treatment, lack of knowledge about accurate medical intervention and most importantly, social stigma and taboo are key factors that often hinder couples from discussing infertility issues and finding solutions to combat it. Therefore, there is a need to normalize conversations around infertility by eradicating the taboo through education and awareness and making quality and holistic treatment accessible and affordable by harnessing advancements in technology.
Infertility can be both a social and mental burden for those affected by it. In our country, women are often held solely responsible for not being able to conceive and male infertility often goes unacknowledged and unaccepted. The first step to fighting infertility is to accept it and talk about it for being able to seek help. While the disease burden is very high, not many people come forward and suffer silently. Many families cling on to hope and refrain from seeking the right treatment at the right time, while others find alternate ways, therapies, and treatments. Some may also resort to seeking treatment from unlicensed practitioners or engage in non-scientific treatment to conceive. The primary reason for this is a lack of understanding and awareness around the condition and its different aspects which can further perpetuate myths and misconceptions.
Another major challenge is the cost of treatment. In India, about 50% of people earn less than 4 lakh rupees a year as household income and IVF or other infertility treatments can be expensive for middle India. Couples also need to factor in the number of IVF cycles they need to undergo, considering that not everyone may benefit from the first cycle itself. Hence making the cost of treatment more affordable is the need of the hour to make it accessible to couples of all economic strata. While right pricing and packages can help couples across strata of society plan their fertility journey better, amping up treatment solutions to improve success rates by harnessing the power of science and technology can reduce the cost of treatment per couple.
India currently sees about 250000-300,000 IVF treatments in a year and IVF has opened doors for many couples who have been struggling with infertility. The advancements in Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) like IVF has turned the dream of improved success rates into reality. Technologies such as Time-lapse monitoring, comprehensive genetic screening and embryo scope have helped to improve the success rates of IVF and have made the process safer and more efficient. Despite this, success rate of IVF globally is merely in the range of 35-45%. This indicates that there is still a large window of opportunity to improve success rates where a small advancement in technology can lead to higher chances of success.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being increasingly used in in vitro fertilization (IVF) to help improve outcomes for couples struggling with infertility. AI can change the course of IVF through the patient journey at strategic decision-making points to improve overall success rate. It has a significant role to play towards personalized reproductive medicine and better pregnancy outcomes for patients.
(The author is a Chief Business Officer, Birla Fertility & IVF, C.K. Birla Group. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the FinancialExpress.com.)
