COVID-19 brought many changes in everyone’s life and made people stay in their homes to remain protected from the spread of the virus. At the beginning of the COVID-19, the number of couples seeking IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) treatment had decreased due to the homebound isolation phase and fear of being infected with the virus.
During the third phase of COVID-19 people realized the virus is here for longer than expected, & as most individuals are now fully vaccinated, they are ready and more confident now to step out of their homes with lesser fear of the covid-19 virus. With this mindset shift, doctors are observing an increase in the number of couples opting for IVF treatment.
What is IVF treatment?
IVF is a process of fertilization wherein a man’s sperm and women’s eggs are combined in the lab outside of the body and after fertilization, the fertilized eggs are implanted in the uterus lining. IVF treatment is a process that requires a lot of time, patience,and dedication As now people are working from home so they have quality time to invest in the treatment without feeling work burnouts.
Why is the need for IVF increasing?
Nowadays, couples focus on building careers and settle first in their lives due to which they delay in planning a baby. Sometimes due to this delay and increase in age, work stress, unhealthy food habits, the quality of egg and sperm reduces which makes it difficult for couples to plan a natural pregnancy. However, to feel the happiness of being parents, the couples opt for IVF treatments.
The couples spending more time together doing all the work from home increased the urge to have a baby to add more happiness to their lives. Doctors also noticed that during the lockdown the lifestyle of couples changed a lot for betterment. Due to which the couples who were having problems in conceiving are also able to conceive naturally.
More than half of the Indian population is young adults who are more eager to enjoy the parenthood phase in their lives. According to the research, it has been analyzed that the infertility rate in Indian couples is increasing due to numerous factors, and providing a proper facility for various medical treatments such as IVF becomes the priority. The infertility rate is equal in men and women. The IVF cycles are increasing at a 25% rate in the last five years and India stood at number three in the world in IVF treatments.(Reference??)
IVF is not only for couples
IVF treatment is not gaining importance in the life of couples, but also the women who are preferring to be single mothers take the help of IVF treatment to conceive and become a parent without waiting for a man to complete their family. In today’s time, women are becoming more passionate about careers as well as enjoying the happiness of motherhood through a legal process without getting married.
Conclusion
The IVF treatment will take a huge rise in India within the next few years as the infertility rate is decreasing with changes in lifestyle, stress, external environment, and many other factors. This treatment is going to become a huge economy booster for the healthcare industry. As per research, it has been found that the IVF market has the potential to perform 5-6 lakhs IVF cycles in upcoming years. With increasing awareness related to IVF among youths & the effort of medical service providers to provide more success rates with their services, the demand & need will increase in near future.
Having said that, couples must initially focus on improving lifestyle and focus on achieving parenthood when they are young. This would save them the financial and emotional burden with which Fertility Treatments are associated.
Dr. Kaberi Banerjee (Medical Director of Advance Fertility & Gynecological Center)