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A new technology that could see couples with infertility problems pay up to 30 per cent less of what is currently charged for In Vitro Fertilization treatment has proved to work and may be introduced in Kenya soon. The technology, which is said to be less stressful to a woman compared to In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), came to the limelight two weeks ago. Already, a couple in Britain have succeeded in delivering twins through the technology, known as In Vitro Maturation (IVM). Another four British women who used the technology are currently pregnant. Upbeat Kenyan doctors have described the new development as revolutionary and a gift to many infertile couples. “We have been waiting for this technology to move to the stage it has done. It is now practical to introduce it into the country,” said Dr Joshua Noreh, the pioneer of test tube baby technology in Kenya. According to him, the technology can be used by any IVF clinic to treat women with infertility problems at a much lower fee. Couples using the technology would save up to Sh 100,000 out of the Sh 300, 000 charged in IVF treatment. “This procedure can be done in any IVF facility because the procedures involved are not different from the conventional IVF laboratory,” said Dr Noreh, who runs the Nairobi IVF Centre. What is only needed is to get a resident embryologist who can monitor and ensure the eggs grow well in the laboratory environment, added Noreh. According to The Independent newspaper of UK, which first broke the news of the new technology, the twin boy and girl were born on 18th October at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford. The boy, who was born first, weighed about 2.7 kg and the girl, 2.3 kg. “I think it is safer, and cheaper alternative to IVF for all women,” Tim Child, a consultant gynecologist at the Oxford Fertility Clinic and a senior fellow in reproductive medicine at Oxford University who led the team, is quoted by the newspaper. “The method dispenses with the use of costly fertility drugs, saving up to 1,500 pounds (Sh 207,000) on the normal price of treatment,” said the newspaper. “It is also safer for the one in three women among those seeking fertility treatment and who have polycystic ovaries.” Under IVF, Dr Noreh says the woman is injected with fertility drugs for between 10 and 14 days to stimulate production of eggs, which are then collected from her ovaries under the guidance of ultrasound. The eggs are fertilized and left for two to three days to grow into embryos which are transferred back into the woman’s uterus for natural pregnancy to take place. British specialists have been quoted in the The Independent newspaper as saying “the development could see in vitro techniques available to more infertile couples by cutting the cost of treatment.” In Britain, where infertility is said to affect one in six couples, IVF techniques cost 5,000 pounds (Sh 690,000). For now, the IVM technology is only being used on women with polycystic ovaries, an in-born condition where ovaries produce eggs that do not grow to maturity. Such women rarely conceive because they do not ovulate unless stimulated by fertility injections. However, women with this condition are at a higher risk of developing dangerous side effects when over-stimulated with such fertility drugs. Hence, doctors find it difficult to treat them. Dr Noreh says with new technology, the 10 percent of his clients who present with polycystic ovaries condition are going to the biggest beneficiaries. Fertility specialists explain that at the moment the technology cannot be used on women with normal ovaries as they have fewer resting follicles to produce enough eggs as is the case for women with polycystic ovaries. But with more research, they hope to take the service to other women. “On average, we get four eggs from a woman with normal ovaries compares to 16 from one with polycystic ovaries,” Child is quoted by The Independent newspaper. This high number is critical in ensuring enough eggs grow to maturity for fertilization to take place. Unlike IVF procedure where the woman is stimulated with drugs to grow the eggs, the IVM technique involves collecting immature eggs from the ovaries. These eggs are then grown in laboratory for 24 to 48 hours before being fertilized and replaced in the woman’s womb the way it happens with IVF. To help the eggs grow, notes Dr Noreh, they are put in a culture medium with nutrients and a very small amount of hormones that helps to mimic the environment in the womb. Once developed, they are fertilized with the resulting embryo being transferred back to the woman’s uterus to develop into a baby. “The main advantage is improved safety for women. Women with polycystic ovaries have a one in 10 chance of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome,” said Dr Child. “IVM completely takes away that risk and with reduced cost, it could become a more accessible form of fertility treatment.” The technology has however a number of drawbacks. It has a lower success rate compared to the IVF procedures. At the Oxford Fertility Clinic, the only one licensed in UK to use the method, IVM technique registered a 25 per cent pregnancy rate, when the same clinic records 45 per cent success rate with IVF procedure. Out of the 20 cycles which have been carried out so far, four other women are currently pregnant, translating to a pregnancy rate of 25 percent, reported the The Independent newspaper. Researchers are expected to in future refine the technique to increase the success rate. The other drawback was the eggs grown in the culture medium developed a harder outer shell, which made it difficult for the sperm to penetrate. The scientists had use a technology known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where a single sperm is injected directly into the egg. This technology is being used at the Nairobi IVF Centre for men with poor quality sperms or for women whose eggs have a harder outer shell. Specialists at the Oxford Fertility Clinic hope to develop a culture medium that will see eggs grow in the laboratory without difficulties and then just mix the sperm and egg for fertilization to occur naturally. The IVM technique was pioneered by the University of McGill in Montreal Canada, where Mr Child spend two years researching and developing it before joining the University of Oxford in 2004. Besides the UK, the technique has been used in Seoul, South Korea, and Scandinavia, with about 400 babies being born worldwide using IVM compared to around two million born using IVF. |
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