Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Random Thoughts on Fertility

I listened to a radio call-in programme last night on IVF and 70% of the people who called in said they had the procedure and didn't receive post-procedure counselling after their cycles failed. This confirms to me that most fertility clinics are merely concerned about the money and not necessarily the emotional condition of their patients.

A woman called in and said she is over 50, and had IVF only to be told her ovum was not producing eggs! I believe someone like that need not have waited till her 50s to attempt IVF and also that the doctors should have done their investigative tests to ascertain her suitability for the procedure instead of allowing such a couple go through the emotional, and financial stress of the procedure.

It is common knowledge that if you are in your 20s and you have had unprotected sex for 1 year without conception you need to see a doctor and if you are in your 30s and has had unprotected sex for 6months without conception you are a candidate for fertility reviews. We should not wait until the 50s to seek help. One major factor leading to the high incidence of infertility in Nigeria as I have observed is late marriages. After spending all our productive years in school, we find out guys are afraid of commitment and ladies are getting married in their 30s. However, this does not stop anyone from getting to know your body while you are still single.

Ladies should review the changes in their monthly cycles. How long? How much? What changes? Seek healthy options to your favorites habits by eating well, avoid sinful relationships, don't do drugs and never take a drug without prescription. Do you know some prescription drugs causes infertility? if you have painful unexplained cramps, clots or irregular periods, they could be a pointer to deeper reproductive issues later in life. Knowledge is power and the earlier these are tackled the better.

Having a prayer network and receiving counsel goes a long way in calming nerves and knowing that someone has gone through the same path can go a long way in providing the succour and help that may be absent in the impersonal doctor's examination room. I can assure you that the feeling of being violated while on the examination table is not peculiar and any woman who has had to go through an examination knows what it feels like.

What am I rambling about? Reach out! Talk to someone!! It may not necessarily be easy to tell your friends and family what it is but in a personalised counselling you get to pour out your heart knowing the information will not be used against you.

 I strongly believe that any family going through infertility and considering treatment should seek out personalised counselling. It is a long road most of the time, and you need your support system. Please don't hesitate to reach out. Call 08121716955 today or add 2A38E9E7 on bbm. It could be the best decision you ever made on your journey through the waiting room.

2 comments:

  1. I have PCOS and having suffered from infertility I can say you are definitely right when it comes to IVF clinics being more concerned about making money than the welfare of their patients. For instance women with PCOS who are overweight can actually ovulate on their own by losing weight, but most of these hospitals don't advise them as such and the women themselves are unaware of it. There have been instances of women spending thousands unsuccessful, giving up, getting depressed, losing weight and miraculously falling pregnant on their own.

    Knowledge is very important and aside from reaching out and not suffering in silence it's very important for a woman to find out as much as she can about the options available to her so as to make the right decisions.

    Glad I stumbled upon your blog. Will definitely be coming back, :)

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  2. Dear Dolapo,
    Ive read a goof number of your old posts and you!ve inspired me, to keep writing from the heart and to keep writing even when readers don't comment. To know that It's not a sign that they did not enjoy the read but sometimes they want to move on to the next post quickly. I write mostly reproductive health topics and will occasionally get berated by a friend for not writing 'other things'. Or a friend who says all that info can also be found on google, but wats a good cause without critics? I wrote an article on male infertility cos i wanted to shine the light off women for a while....
    Im rambling now, but what am i saying? I wont stop writing, like me reading your blog, someone is getting blessed by the read of mine.

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