Why Creator’s IVF Nepal?

Infertility is a tangible problem in our society. It is a source of social and psychological suffering for both male and female partners and can place great pressures on the relationship of the couple. It may not be a public health priority in many countries, but it is a central issue in the lives of the individuals who suffer from it. It is estimated that infertility affects more than 80 million people worldwide. In general, one in ten couples experience primary or secondary infertility, but infertility rates vary amongst countries from less than 5% to more than 30%. (Vayena et al., 2002).

Although peer and social pressures to have a child vary from country to country, what remains common in all is the desperate need of infertile people to give birth to a healthy child. This can be overcome and the dream of having a baby can still be realized, albeit with a little help. So with the vision to help the infertile couples and make their dreams of having a child come true, Creator’s IVF Nepal Pvt. Ltd. started its operation since November 2015 under the leadership of Dr. Sanu Maiya Shrestha (Pradhan).

Dr. Sanu’s interest in ART started with her own experience of infertility. In 1996, even after a year of marriage, she was unable to conceive. After visiting a renowned gynaecologist who gave her a meager five minutes consultation before prescribing a prosaic hormonal medicine, she thought, “It is a curse to be born infertile in a developing country, where there is a lack of expertise and the technology is so backward.” Dr. Sanu recalls those days as filled with “high stress levels, her jealousy of her own sisters when they had their babies and her irritability even with her patients and colleagues.” Finally after three years of childlessness, she was able to overcome her infertility problem. Since suffering from the problem and overcoming it, Dr. Sanu’s aim was to gain expertise in the reproductive medicine in order to treat infertile women. Her dream came true when she was awarded the AUS AID scholarship for Master’s in Obstetrics/Gynaecology at the University of New South Wales, Australia in 2001.

After returning from Australia in 2004, she got a golden chance to work in Om IVF Centre, Om Hospital with Dr. Narendra Malhotra and Dr. Jaydeep Malhotra (IVF Specialists from India) under Dr. Bhola Rijal, the Chairman of Om Hospital. Here, she was able to utilize the fresh knowledge she had gained from Australia and got practical exposure on how to handle infertile patients. Dr. Sanu is grateful to Dr. Rijal for giving her this immense educational opportunity.

After three years of her experience at Om IVF, in 2007, Dr. Sanu proceeded to start another IVF centre, “IVF Nepal Pvt. Ltd.” This centre germinated out of her own initiation, but was financially realized with the help of Dr. Gyanendra Man Singh Karki (Senior Consultant Gynaecologist and Laparoscopic Surgeon), Chairman – IVF Nepal Pvt. Ltd. Under the leadership of Dr. Sanu Maiya Shrestha, this centre served thousands of infertile couples till October 2015, giving birth to 250 IVF babies. Take home baby rate of the centre was 28.9%. Unfortunately, Dr. Sanu faced the difficulty of updating the centre and extending the facilities to more complex ART Techniques such as ICSI, as well training the manpower to become specialized and independent, such as In – house Embryologists. Finally, in November 2015, Dr. Sanu started “Creator’s IVF Nepal Pvt. Ltd. with her ownership and leadership. From November 2015 till August 2016, six IVF batches have been conducted. First IVF baby of Creator’s IVF Nepal Pvt. Ltd. was born on September 02, 2016.

Due to our title as a developing country, family planning measures and techniques inundate the mainstream, generosity from foreign neighbours, but there is next to nothing to alleviate the tension and stress suffered by a childless couple. In context of Nepal, socially speaking, after marriage, the birth of a child is imperative. This tradition has an impervious stronghold. Childless couples are ostracized and isolated, and sometimes in extreme cases, the marriage is annulled and a second marriage of the husband is promptly scheduled by the in-laws. Infertility is not exclusive to women. Men also suffer from this entity and are vulnerable to the stress that accompanies infertility.

After much wait, recent developments have brought the science of ART to Nepal. ART includes Ovulation Induction with TI, Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI), In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or its household equivalent “Test-Tube Baby” and Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).

Creator’s IVF Nepal Pvt. Ltd. provides simple Assisted Reproductive Technique (ART) measures like Timed Intercourse (TI), Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI), In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).

Vayena, E., Rowe, P.J. and Griffin, P.D., 2002. Current practices and controversies in assisted reproduction. Geneva: World Health Organization, pp.15-21.