12. Dr. Indira Ahuja - Infertility Treatment

 


Dr. Indira Ahuja is a Gynecologist who has helped thousands of couples who were longing for a baby to achieve success through infertility treatment. According to one estimate, she was  instrumental  in giving  birth to more than 15,000 children. She still continues her work at Ahuja Hospital in Bombay.

 

The first full-grown test tube baby in non-India was born at K.E.M.Hospital, Bombay on August 6, 1986  under the  treatment  of  Dr.Ahuja . In this  hospital. she started a treatment called Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) in which children conceived in the fallopian tubes of womenwere transplanted into the uterus. In this way the first child was born on January 4, 1988. Later, using the method of IVF, countless children were born. Dr Indira Ahuja has developed some methods to help menopausal women with premature ovarian failure to have children. Thus, a child was born on January 24, 1991 under their treatment

IVF is a relief for  women who are having difficulty in conceiving children. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a technique in which an egg is removed from a woman's body and the embryo is artificially combined with a man's sperm and placed back into the mother's uterus to grow. IVF is used to have children in cases where there is no natural pregnancy and infertility treatment has failed. A woman's ovulation is controlled artificially with the help of hormones. Thus, fertilization takes place with the cells produced. It is implanted in the uterus of a woman who is ready to conceive.

According to Dr.Indira Ahuja, infertility used to be a condition seen only in cities. But now there are women who are facing such difficulties not only in cities but also in villages. Often, such problems can occur due to some defects of the uterus or infection in the tubes leading to the uterus. Other causes may be abnormalities in hormone production. Disorders in men can be disorders in sperm production or decrease in the number of male sperms in semen.

When Dr. Hinduja started working in this field, people thought that infertility was a curse of women and that it was caused by God's anger. There was even a situation where barren women had to face neglect and scorn from the society itself. She showed people that  if these women  get the right treatment from such a condition, most of the infertility can be reversed  with treatment. This  also helped to change people's misconceptions.

Dr. Ahuja's Ph.D was from Bombay University in IVF. Since then she has been working as a full-time Gynaecologist at PD Hinduja Hospital, West Mahim, Bombay. She still continues to be a Gynecologist at Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre.

According to her, the cost of infertility treatment in India is still high. The cost is high and unaffordable for common people. The main reason for this is that such treatment is not available in government hospitals. India does not have health insurance coverage for infertility as it does in countries like Canada, Germany and New Zealand. This can also be a reason. She hoped that in the future it will be possible for common people to get such treatment here.

Awards received by Dr. Ahuja

• Young Indian Award (1987)

• Jaycee Award for Distinguished Woman of Maharashtra (1987)

• Bharat Nirman Award for Outstanding Female Talent (1994)

• International Women's Day Award, given by the Society of Gynaecologists in 1999

• 1999 Gynaecologist Lifetime Achievement Award

• Maharashtra Governor's Dhanvantari Award (2000)

• Padma Shri Award from the President (2011)

References

https://www.thebetterindia.com/137145/ivf-infant-fertility-infertility-india/

https://malayalam.samayam.com/lifestyle/relationships/what-is-in-vitro-fertilization-and-how-does-it-work/articleshow/68306

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