Children, despite the hardships in conceiving and parenting, are treasures for every parent. Though times have changed when some couples may prefer not to have children, a big majority will still wish and plan to have their own bundles of joy. Unfortunately, due to infertility problems, some of these couples feel that they are already at the end of the road.
Unknown to many, there’s one out of 10 Filipinos suffering from infertility. And there are different factors that affect a couple’s ability to procreate such as socio-cultural practices, including the marrying age, educational status, professional goals. Aside from those, Dr. Virgilio M. Novero Jr., head of St. Luke’s flagship Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine and Infertility (CARMI), infertility can also be traced to issues affecting both the female and male reproductive systems, and medical conditions that compromises the quality of egg and sperm cells.
BUT when a couple is diagnosed with infertility, it’s still not the dead end. And Merck Philippines, the local arm of the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company, wants to inform people about that. Through its campaign “Bridging Baby Steps,” Merck Philippines works on educating Filipinos about infertility and raise awareness about (IVF) or in-vitro fertilization methods.
(IVF) or in-vitro fertilization is one type of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) which is a treatment procedure that enables multiplication of ovarian follicles and facilitates egg cell retrieval. During the process, embryos will be formed outside the body of a female patient and will be transferred once the “cultures” are successfully formed. Patients who are suffering from severe sperm deficits, blocked fallopian tubes, unexplained infertility, mild endometriosis, and ovulation disorders can be candidates for this treatment.
The success of IVF procedure is amazing. According to Dr. Virgilio M. Novero Jr., head of St. Luke’s flagship Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine and Infertility (CARMI), there are about six million children around the world who were born via IVF.
If you are a couple who has an open mind and who wants to know the available options for infertility treatments, feel free to attend this event. REGISTRATION IS FREE. Visit www.facebook.com/fertilityawarenessphilippines for more information about Fertility Awareness in the Philippines.
