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Doctors at Burjeel Hospital, the largest private tertiary care hospital, announced today a landmark achievement of 60% successful IVF (in-vitro fertilization) cases since launch of its IVF Center in September 2012.
As the number of Emirati couples turning to IVF treatment rises in the country, the hospital confirmed that it received nearly 500 IVF requests, 90% of which were Emirati patients. Marking a year-long successful partnership, Burjeel Hospital and University of Brussels IVF Centers recently had a strategic meet to further solidify efforts in order to cater to the growing need and demand of fertility services in the UAE.
The potential of IVF market in UAE stands huge owing to the statistics which depict that every sixth couple in UAE is facing fertility issues. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the conception rates in UAE have also recently gone down from around 5.7 children per woman to two children per woman.
Titled ‘The demand for fertility services in Dubai’, a report released by Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in 2010, estimated that 100,446 men and women are facing infertility problems in the UAE.
During the program, Dr.ShamsheerVayalil, Managing Director of Burjeel Hospital, said, “We believe that IVF is a noble service to couples that need to expand their family and cannot do so. Our success rate is proof of the fact that Burjeel Hospital and University of Brussels will go a long way in providing IVF service not only in the UAE but to the entire MENA region as well.”
“Emiratis compose 90% of nearly 500 patients that received the IVF treatment at our Center in Abu Dhabi. The balance 10% applicants are westerns expats from the UAE as well as nationals from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain”, said Prof. Dr. Human MousaviFatemi - Senior Medical Director at the Center for Reproductive Medicine, Brussels University and Head of IVF Department, Burjeel Hospital.
Burjeel Hospital and the Center for Reproductive Medicine, University of Brussels (UZB), initiated a clinical and scientific collaboration in the field of human reproduction in September of 2012. The Belgian Center has been at the forefront of innovation in reproductive medicine and techniques for over 25 years. The IVF Center at Burjeel Hospital is managed by a clinical team from CRG, Brussels and has a state-of-the-art laboratory, offering the latest solutions in reproductive medicine.
The strategic meet between the Centers was attended by delegates from the University of Brussels – Prof. Paul De Knop, Rector, Free University of Brussels; Prof. Herman Tournaye, Medical Head CRG; Prof. Marc Noppen, CEO UZ Brussels; and LieveDecaluwe, Manager CRG. Burjeel Hospital was represented by Dr. ShamsheerVayalil, Managing Director; Dr. Charles Stanford, CEO; Dr. Nabil Debouni, Medical Director; and SrinivasAchar, CFO.
Prof. Paul De Knop said, "It is a matter of pride for us that we have been able to expand the services at Brussels University to the Middle East. We will also be focusing on the rest of the GCC countries’ referrals to Abu Dhabi in 2014. To me, this is a noble cause as it brings joy into families that have been childless for a long time."
Prof.Fatemi revealed a unique research finding on early ovary aging that contributes to infertility in women. “We discovered that reasons for early ovary aging in Emirati women include consanguinity and Vitamin D deficiency in the GCC.” Consanguineous marriage is a strong tradition in the UAE and throughout the Gulf. “We measured the number of eggs in the ovaries of women whose parents were first cousins and found 50% chance of lower number of eggs as compared to women whose parents were not.”
Citing common factors of infertility, Prof. Fatemi said, “Obesity, smoking, unhealthy diet and a lack of exercise are contributing factors to why one in four men in the UAE have poor sperm quality - the most common cause of male infertility. Although cigarette smoking is not very popular among UAE females, traditional shisha is.”
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