TEST-TUBE BABIES' DAY OUT IN AGRA

From: Dr. Jai Maharaj (usenet_at_mantra.com)
Date: 10/28/04 

Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 23:06:08 GMT

Test-tube babies' day out in Agra

By Vijay Upadhyay, in Agra
The Pioneer
Friday, October 29, 2004

They had all left test tubes to be born into families
where infertile couples had all but given up the hope of
extending their bloodline. But, riding on pathfinding
technology, they came into being to help get the smile
back on the faces of their parents. And they continue to
regale not just their parents, but also curious couples
who haven't made up their minds. For the test-tube
progeny of Agra, Thursday was the baby's day out.

Four hundred test-tube babies of Agra - from those roly-
poly to enfant terribles - converged at the Holiday Inn
hotel here to make a one-of-its-kind baby show on
Thursday evening a memorable experience. Leading the pack
was Utsav, the first test tube baby born in Agra in 1998.

'Test Tube Babies" or In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) first
appeared as a possible solution to male and female
infertility in India's metros in 1978. But this
inherently complex and expensive procedure is yet to gain
widespread social approval. While in the metropolitan
cities, infertile couples are increasingly seeking help
from the over 200 Test Tube Baby Centres in the country
to realise their dream of building a family, notions like
"naturalness" of babies born through this technique,
combined with the prohibitive costs involved, have
discouraged the middle-class from adapting this
technique. Being low-priced compared to developed
countries, Indian IVF centres have become a major
attraction for foreign couples.

To make people aware of the facts regarding this
technique and to obliterate the misconceptions pertaining
to IVF, infertility specialist Narendra Malhotra
showcased over 400 test-tube babies born at his centre on
the ramps of the hotel, taking a cue from a a similar
show at the Bourne Hall Infertility Clinic, London, which
had 1,000 test-tube babies.

According to Dr Malhotra, the term "Test Tube Baby" is
itself a misnomer as only the fertilisation of the egg is
done in artificial surroundings and after 48 hours, the
developing embryo is implanted inside the womb of the
mother. He said the term may have been helpful in
publicising the technique but has also given rise to
several myths that continue to cloud the procedure even
today.

Explaining his objective behind holding the baby show, Dr
Malhotra said that more than 15 per cent of couples in
India suffer from either male or female infertility. But,
despite being around since 1978, In-Vitro Fertilisation
still hasn't been accepted as a complete solution to
infertility in the country due to the misconceptions
surrounding it. Just about 20,000 babies have been born
in the country with this technique, out of which the Agra
centre has contributed significantly by "bringing over
400 babies to this world through IVF".

He said that India offers the best conception rates for
IVF, up to 35-40 per cent while the accepted rate the
world over is 25 per cent. These statistics, combined
with the comparatively low overall expenditure involved,
have prompted couples from distant countries like the US
and Canada to seek the help of Indian IVF centres. But it
is a depressing scenario that the technique is still to
carve out its niche as a cure for infertility in India as
on the Indian economic scale, the treatment is still
fairly expensive costing anywhere between Rs 60,000 to Rs
200,000 based on the age of the receptive mother. He said
that the maximum-recorded age of a mother in the Agra
centre has been 53 years, which is far over the expected
age of pregnancy.

Asked about the probabilities of birth defects in the
babies born through IVF, Dr Malhotra said that multiple
pregnancies are probably the only problem associated with
this technique, for which, a corrective procedure is
being developed as such pregnancies result in premature
deliveries, endangering the lives of both the mother and
the child.

More at:
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The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:

     "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
     "For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
     "And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
 - Matthew 10:34-36.

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