More Options for Couple to Make Babies Outside Bedrooms

A growing number of Nigerians are having difficulties in making babies through natural methods that are often limited to the bedrooms, but Assisted Reproduction expert, Dr. Richardson Ajayi, says this could be achieved outside the bedrooms using scientifically proven methods.Ajayi, who is Managing Director of assisted conception centre, The Bridge Clinic, also disclosed that conception for people who are having difficulties in that regard has been made easier by processes like In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) among others that are currently available at the Bridge.He disclosed recently in Port Harcourt that The Bridge has helped couples achieved no fewer than 231 conceptions using assisted reproductive techniques carried out in the Port Harcourt clinic alone.Ajayi noted that the inability of some couples to conceive children in the convenience of their bedroom show that there is a medical problem, for which reprieve could come through IVF and other methods.Ajayi said The Bridge Clinic, which was established in 1999 with the Lagos Clinic, has expanded to other parts of the country, providing additional number of Nigerians with the chance of achieving conception where it was impossible through the natural method."We branched out to Port-Harcourt in 2003 and the Port-Harcourt clinic has registered 231 successful births since inception. We are still expanding as we currently have five clinics; 2 in Lagos, one in Port-Harcourt, one in Kaduna and the recently opened Institute of Fertility Medicine (IFM) at the Lagos State University offering IVF services at a highly subsidised rate," Ajayi disclosed.IVF is a method of creating an artificial environment for a natural process, similar to that present in the human womb, to occur and enable the couple achieve a pregnancy. The inability of achieving a pregnancy stems mostly from infertility, which arises due to various causative factors." Dr Ajayi also noted that various causes of infertility can broadly be classified as ovarian problems, uterine problems, tubal problems and semen abnormalities; adding that all are cases where IVF offers a solution."The purpose of IVF is to allow the sperm and egg to meet. This is the main challenge with the causes of infertility and IVF is the hallmark of treatment"," he said.With regards to standards and regulation in the clinic Ajayi said, "We have a duty and responsibility to provide our clients with the same standard of healthcare that is acceptable in the United Kingdom and other European countries because there is and should be only one standard for healthcare delivery."Meanwhile Ajayi disclosed that The Bridge is set to champion regulation of IVF in Nigeria which has slowly and gradually become an all-comers affair. A Think-Tank session was held in Lagos recently in that regard, conclusions from which would be presented to relevant authorities. The Bridge Clinic anchored a plenary session at the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON) conference in Abuja last year and the focus of this was the drive for regulation. This was followed by a formal submission to the SOGON council for ratification.The Bridge Clinic is Nigeria's first assisted conception centre. It pioneered IVF services in Nigeria in 1999 and has recorded more than 1,252 successes since its inception.