Infertility rates in the UAE are among the highest in the world.
A report by the United Nations revealed that the prevalence of infertility is rising, while demographics is declining significantly, from 6.6 births per woman in the 1970s, to 5.22 children in 1980-1985 to 1.73 between 2015-2020, which while largely attributable to women’s lifestyle choices, can also be put down to rising numbers of women facing problems with conceiving.
According to the Dubai Health Authority, around 50 percent of women face infertility issues. Statistics also reveal that women in Dubai seeking fertility treatment every year could nearly double, from 5,975 in 2015 to 9,139 by 2030.
The prevalence of primary and secondary infertility rates worldwide is around 15 per cent among women and, while we don’t have the exact data in the UAE, the impression is that the prevalence of both conditions is higher than the rest of the world, due to multiple factors, which are very specific for the UAE.
Anyone who has gone through the utter heartbreak of not being able to conceive, will understand the terrible effect it has not only on your heart, but also on your mind. But couples don’t need to face these challenges alone because Thrive Wellbeing Centre is joining forces with Orchid Fertility Clinic to offer free support for couples experiencing fertility issues.
Any couples facing struggles with infertility as well as couples who are embarking on an IVF journey can take advantage of this new partnership.
Thrive’s meant health professionals will be offering free psychological screening to any patients that Orchid refers, while similarly, Orchid will provide free initial consultations to any recommendations from Thrive Wellbeing Center.
The aim of the joint venture is to help ease the stress associated with a fertility journey, which sees couples experience an intense range of emotions; hope, expectation, excitement, and often, disappointment.
“Infertility or a frustrated desire for a child can affect a couple psychologically in a multitude of ways. Couples often find themselves devoid of the resources necessary to cope with this type of challenge, and more so in the current context of the COVID19 pandemic,” said counselling psychologist at Thrive, Dr Vassiliki Simoglou, whose doctoral research at the University of Paris focused on infertility and IVF.
“As an infertility expert, I bring my understanding of fertility treatments into my clinical work with women and couples. My role is to accompany and support them while they are going through the roller coaster of emotions triggered by the treatments, from hope to despair and everything in between. Identifying what is happening for them emotionally and in their bodies, helps them make informed decisions, stay connected with each other and with their desire for a child, and cope better with the complexities of the treatments,” she added.
“At Orchid, we strongly believe that a holistic approach can aid during a fertility treatment and can lead to a balance of patients’ spiritual, emotional, physical and mental aspects. We feel committed to delivering healthy babies to healthy parents and this is the reason why our patients’ mental health is important to us. We are very excited about our partnership with Thrive Wellbeing Centre, which aims to help our patients cope with their fertility treatment,” added laboratory director and clinical embryologist, Maria Banti (MSc, BSc).
You don’t have to face the journey alone, help is available.
For more information, visit www.thrive.ae/infertility.
