Guyana’s first ‘test tube baby’ successfully delivered

– As Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital continues to provide quality healthcare

For the first time in the history of Guyana, couples who are unable to conceive are given a second chance through a scientific method known as In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), which is being offered at the Dr Balwant Singh’s Hospital.

Gynaecologist Dr Madhu Singh announced on Monday that the first baby conceived in Guyana through the IVF service was delivered just a few days ago.

The mother of the baby is a 32-year-old woman who was trying to conceive for some eight years now, but could not because of severe endometriosis, a medical problem which causes infertility. Both baby and mother have been discharged and are doing well.

At a news conference to announce the accomplishment, Dr Singh said before now, patients requiring this kind of service would have had to travel to neighbouring countries, including Barbados and Trinidad. Some went as far as the United States and Canada and one can only imagine the expenses incurred because both parents are required to be examined and undergo multiple tests.

The IVF is used by couples who have tried simpler methods and failed to conceive. It is the only option for patients with low sperm counts, blocked fallopian tubes, or prolonged unexplained infertility. It is also the only option when patients have to use donor sperm or eggs especially those who may have uterine problems or may have had their uterus removed. “These women can use a surrogate to carry their babies once they have access to this service,” Dr Singh told reporters in the hospital’s boardroom.

IVF is a process by which an egg is fertilised by sperm outside the body in vitro (in glass). The process involves monitoring and stimulating a woman’s ovulatory process, removing ovum or ova (egg or eggs) from the woman’s ovaries and letting sperm fertilise them in a fluid medium in a laboratory. The fertilised egg (zygote) is cultured for two to six days in a growth medium and is then implanted in the same or another woman’s uterus, with the intention of establishing a successful pregnancy.

IVF techniques can be employed in a variety of situations. It is a method of assisted reproductive technology for treatment of infertility. These techniques are also employed in gestational surrogacy, in which case the fertilised egg is implanted into a surrogate’s uterus, and the resulting child is genetically unrelated to the surrogate.

Highly complex

According to Dr Madhu, the service has been in the making for some five years now and has cost the medical institution close to US$500,000. Dr Singh, who disclosed her passion for Gynaecology, particularly as it relates to fertility, said the service is a highly complex procedure and requires a dedicated lab and theatre. The cost to the patient per cycle of treatment is approximately US$8000, and this is due to the high cost of medications.

Since the beginning of the service, some 56 patients have been processed, Dr Singh related. “Not all of these had their embryos transferred due to medical problems, including high hormones.

Asked about the success of the service so far, Dr Singh said it is a bit “premature to talk about success rates because all the embryos have not been transferred. They will be, however, in the vicinity of the international success rate of 30 to 40 per cent”.

The head of the hospital Gynaecology Department said every patient is not required to pay the same cost, however. It depends on the kind of treatment they need. The medications have to be tailored to the individual patients, depending on their hormones, she explained

Dr Singh explained in the event the service does not work with some patients, the institution continues to work with and accommodate them using the “rescue cycle”. Some women, she explained, produce 20 eggs or more. In such cases, the eggs are frozen and the process is repeated. “Because what we have found is, if you say 30 per cent is the success rate for a cycle, over two cycles that success rate will become 60 per cent, over three cycle, 90 per cent. So if you don’t do it, someone else will get the success.”

Singh, who received training in this area from India, has been a practising gynaecologist in Guyana since 1998. She worked at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for some five years, heading the Gynaecology Department for two.