One baby is born in Dubai every 3.5 hours according to Dubai Statistics Centre, DSC. At nearly triple the national birth rate, the expatriate births stood at 22,755 babies compared to 7,728 Emiratis.

This was revealed in connection with the announcement of the opening of new headquarters in Dubai by IVI Fertility, the globally renowned centre for fertility treatment, following its successful launch of operations in Abu Dhabi in May last year and over 120 successful pregnancies in less than a year.

"The opening of this office is very significant when viewed against the findings of a report by Dubai Statistic Centre that fertility was among the top treatments sought by medical tourists who visited Dubai in 2015, next only to treatment of osteoporosis, dermatology and plastic surgery," said Dr. Human Fatemi, Medical Director, IVI Fertility Middle East.

"We realised that a lot of our patients at Abu Dhabi clinic came from Dubai, Al Ain and other parts of the UAE. This factor, combined with the booming health travel sector in Dubai, prompted us to open a new clinic in Dubai," said Dr. Barbara Lawrenz, Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology at IVI Fertility Middle East.

"The Middle East has an estimated 2 to 3 million couples in the age group of 20 - 40 who are facing difficulties in starting a family. This challenge of infertility is globally recognised as a major health issue. In the last few years, we all have probably read or heard about advancements in fertility treatments," added Dr. Fatemi.

"IVF involves combining the egg and the sperm outside the body in a laboratory. Once an embryo or embryos form, they are then transferred back to the uterus of the woman. If done with the correct approach, this technique delivers successful results. However, there have been cases of severe male sterility, previously failed IVF cycles, failure with Intra-uterine Insemination or even limited number of available oocytes that pose challenges. Such cases do not necessarily yield results with the conventional IVF technique," he added.

"The Dubai clinic is a major step in making sure that highly advanced, worlds best treatments are easily available to couples desiring to become parents. At IVI, our extensive research in understanding GCC-specific factors of infertility amongst couples and personalised treatments is the crucial factor behind our success rate of over 70%," added Dr. Fatemi.

"Fortunately, science today has the answer to most fertility problems. However, such treatments are successful only after the right tests and assessments are carried out to diagnose the exact cause of infertility. At IVI, our extensive research in understanding GCC-specific factors like consanguinity and its impact on fertility and customising treatments to address those, are responsible for the high success rate," Dr. Fatemi concluded.