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Free fertility treatment for Emiratis

Hundreds of Emirati couples in Dubai will be able to get free fertility treatment, sponsored by the government, under a new initiative announced on Tuesday.

Officials said the initiative called ‘Amal’ — meaning hope in Arabic — will give stability to families, especially young couples.

The Dubai Gynaecology and Fertility Centre (DGFC) will sponsor the complete fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and other similar procedures which may normally cost up to Dh45,000 per cycle with couples often requiring more than one cycle of treatment before they succeed. Dr Fatma Musabih, Director of the centre, said: “On average, per year, we have about 500 to 600 Emirati couples who are treated at the centre.”

“Infertility sometimes causes depression and unrest among families and if couples are not able to afford the treatment, the situation may become even more stressful,” said Essa Al Maidoor, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority.

So far 3,000 babies have been born through assisted reproductive technology (ART) provided at the centre.

In terms of treatment costs, Dr Awatif Al Bahar, medical director and consultant in Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Endocrine Infertility, said: “The approximate cost of one trial of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) is Dh22,000 and the cost for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is Dh26,000. These are average charges of treatment and only cover the cost of medications, medical instruments and lab work involved.”

She added that the most common cause of infertility in men is low sperm count and for women it is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which can be caused due to several reasons such as genetic predisposition and stress: “The important (message) for couples is that there is hope. With advances in science and technology, fertility centres around the world have high success rates.”

“For patients above 40 years, the success rate is 45 per cent and for women below 40 years it is 55 per cent,” Al Bahar said.

The centre also tests patients for genetic disorders including Thalassaemia and other DNA-related diseases. In addition, the centre provides tests and treatment for patients with repeated miscarriages.

Al Bahar said: “Earlier many of these women used to go overseas for treatment but since this testing facility is provided at the centre, they are now able to seek treatment while staying in the country, which is more convenient for them and their families.”

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com