A woman in her mid 20s, one of the city’s first ‘test tube babies’, has conceived naturally. A gathering was hosted on Sunday to celebrate the occasion and that of the birth of many more children through assisted reproduction.
The gathering for children born through assisted reproductive techniques, popularly referred to as IVF, at Jala Vihar saw families and their wards partake in the celebrations organised by Anu Test Tube Baby Centre. At the event were many twins and triplets, who were born after years of despair and infertility, recalled many of the parents.
More than 300 families were present on the occasion who interacted with the media without inhibitions. However, the woman, who the centre claims was among the city’s first test tube babies that have delivered naturally, shied away from the gathering indicating that some stigma remains in acknowledging assisted reproduction.
“There still are misconceptions that test tube babies are not normal or may need help with reproduction. We wish to dispel those notions by informing that test tube babies are no different from children conceived naturally,” said M. Prasad, an embryologist at the centre. He added that family constraints prevented many from sharing their stories of childlessness.
For others, however, their stories of frustration followed by success and joy were meant to be proudly shared.
“We were childless for nearly 20 years following marriage. After going through IVF, we were blessed with a millennial child,” said a pharmaceutical businessman, M.A. Rehman, whose daughter is studying Intermediate.
According to Dr. Prasad, the centre may have assisted in the births of around 5,000 babies since mid 90s.
