By Chioma Umeha
Mr. Omoz Evborokhai, president of Fertility
Awareness Advocate Initiative (FAAI), a non-profit support group, has rued the
ignorance among the public on the treatment for In-vitro Fertilisation (IVF).
IVF is the most common and most effective type of
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) to help women become pregnant. It
involves fertilizing the egg outside the body.
He explained that the ignorance has resulted to
couples with such health challenges walking in the dark and finding treatment
difficult to get even when it is not.
Evborokhai said this during the launching of FAAI
in Lagos at the weekend.
He stated that the group’s aims and objectives
include the promotion of awareness on treatment for infertility as well as
offering counseling support to those undergoing fertility treatments, and
assisting in breaking the myths and misconceptions surrounding infertility in
Nigeria.
“Over time, we have discovered that there is
ignorance in the populace as to IVF treatment options and as a result a number
of couples grope in darkness and go through hell in seeking help.
“We at FAAI believe that people should get to know
that there is hope at the end of the tunnel and that they can have babies
through legitimate processes.
“FAAI promotes enforcement of regulatory standards
in the treatment of infertility in Nigeria and collaborates with organisations
with similar objectives.
According to Evborokhai, the counseling process
affords FAAI the opportunity to build hope on the patients with information
that they are not alone in the challenges as others have gone through similar
part.
“By offering counseling support, we let couples on
the fertility journey know that others have gone through this same route and
achieved successes. We also share our experiences which goes a long way to
inspire them.”
Also speaking at the occasion, Folasade Ogunsola,
a Professor of Medical Microbiology and current Provost, College of Medicine of
the University of Lagos, said applauded FAAI for its efforts.
She said that the College of Medicine of the
university has also come a long way in the fight against infertility.
Ogunsola advocated for continued research on the
causes and ways to control infertility in order to make Invitro Fertilisation
(IVF) and other certified treatments more affordable to couples who are being
confronted by such health challenges.
“We have come a long way in infertility treatment,
and we need to continue to demystify it.
She, however, urged couples who have benefitted
from the treatment to share their stories in order to encourage others.
“We are also encouraging couples that have
benefited from the treatment procedures to come out and share their stories,”
she said.
The don went down memory lane at LUTH, recalling
when there was little or no hope for infertility treatment, saying that people
who went to the clinic at that time had no solution to their problems.
“It was such a miserable time and I was really
moved. We felt that even if we could do the O (Obstetrics) without the G
(Gynaecology), it would not be enough. At the infertility clinic at LUTH, the
same people were there in year after year; there was no solution.
“It is great that we are having solutions now and
that those that have availed themselves of the solutions are happy to talk
about it so that others can benefit.
Ogunsola also urged collaboration in the fight
against this dreaded medical defect with huge emphasis on research and finding
other methods through which the burden of treatment can be reduced.
“As you create awareness and counsel, I would also
want you to think about when this group is matured so that it will collaborate
with the universities to expand frontiers of knowledge through research as
alternate methods of finding out ways that we can reduce the burden and cost of
treatment.”
On his own during the launching, Dr Abayomi Ajayi,
Medical Director/CEO, Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos, Abuja & Asaba, noted
that through hearing the success stories of others, people suffering from
infertility will have a different perception of the disease.
He further said that such success stories will
remove any fear they would have injected into their systems, while also saying
that they need to be enlightened on the Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART).
“Having children is the ultimate goal for most
married couples. At Nordica, we discovered that most of our patients crave
support and need to be enlightened about Assisted Reproductive Treatment, ART.
“They also need to hear the success stories of
others in order to help them overcome their fears and also unmask any negative
perception they might have towards seeking fertility treatments.
“The search for a solution gave birth to this
support group called FAAI, which has the goal to reach out to the public and
enlighten them about ART.
