Hope for infertile couples

Currently, there is a shortfall of 3,800 treatment cycles in Abu Dhabi that are required to help married couples conceive, and in the next five to ten years, this shortfall is set to shoot up to 4,500 cycles. The results, which were gathered as part of a recent study conducted by the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), have prompted Abu Dhabi's largest maternity hospital, Corniche Hospital, to announce plans for a new assisted reproductive treatment centre that is expected to open in the last quarter of this year (2012). The outpatient centre will provide In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) services, a process in which an egg is fertilised outside the uterus and then implanted to achieve a pregnancy, as well as other reproductive medicine solutions to help couples conceive, said Dr Mariam Al Mazroui, deputy chief executive officer of the hospital, told Gulf News. "A large number of patients who require fertility treatment in the capital are currently referred abroad. The new centre will therefore allow them to get the help they need closer to home," Dr Mariam said. Article continues below ‘Lifestyle diseases' According to the leading doctor, nine per cent of women worldwide between the ages of 22 and 44 years are infertile for periods lasting longer than 12 months. In addition, one in six couples is known to experience infertility concerns at least once during their reproductive lifespan. "Nowadays, lifestyle diseases like obesity also contribute to worsening infertility, as does the high prevalence of smoking and later ages of marriage in the region," Dr Mariam explained. The doctor added that the centre would also provide a continuum of care to deal with reproductive concerns. "Infertility is a difficult issue to deal with for any couple. The assisted reproductive treatment centre will therefore work to provide a continuum of care along with the hospital's other departments, from pre-conception counselling till post-delivery care," she said. When asked whether the new facility will also offer storage banks for embryos, the doctor said the hospital was still studying the country's regulations on such facilities. ‘Infrastructure' "The infrastructure will be available, but we will of course abide by any UAE regulations on these services," she said. The gap in reproductive medicine solutions in the emirate was also reported in the Health Authority Abu Dhabi's (HAAD) Annual Report 2010. In the capital, this shortfall is set to be reduced by the Corniche Hospital's centre, as well as another centre that will be part of the Burjeel Hospital, set to open next month. Hypertension A new dedicated clinic to manage hypertension and its related concerns is set to be opened in the capital next week. The clinic, part of the Mafraq Hospital, will offer outpatient support and home disease management programmes for patients, including advice on diets and lifestyles, a statement sent by the hospital announced yesterday. "Hypertension is an important public health challenge. It affects approximately one billion people worldwide, and that number is growing, with more than 1.5 billion adults expected to be suffering from the disease by 2025," said Dr Sarah Khan, nephrology and hypertension consultant at the hospital. An estimated two in five Emiratis suffer from hypertension.