It was a lazy afternoon and I was busy surfing my FACEBOOK account when a chat pop appeared on the screen. It was Jaden whom I have met over this social networking site, a year ago. He was a Canadian resident. After formal greetings he revealed that his aunt was suffering from a serious heart condition and needed to undergo a major bypass surgery. The cost of bypass surgery was very high so all this while he was making a frenetic search on the internet in regards to know about the countries where the same surgery could be performed at a comparatively low price without compromising with quality and standards.

I told him why doesn’t he considers India in this regard, as India in the recent times has come out as one of the most favored Medical tourism destinations. In India, a combination of traditional and modern medical treatments are offered to the patient to choose from. The country is best known for its expertise in Cardiology treatments. The doctors in India have an impressive track record in the context of the complex heart operations and boast a death rate from complications i.e. half of what is recorded in the US.

Adding on further I told him that lower cost of medical treatments in India is one of the biggest drivers, as at times the cost of certain complex surgeries can be as low as that of one-tenth of what people might pay in their home countries. Though the travelling cost can be seen as an overhead but when compared to the total cost of surgeries at home they might save one from spending a significant part of ones hard earned fortune.

Then he showed his concern about the long waiting time his aunt might be subjected to before undergoing surgery. I assured him that these issues are faced majorly by the westerns in their home country. In India it is possible to fix treatments and surgeries almost without any waiting time.

Other factors that work in favor of medical tourism in India is that the country has a great number of US FDA approved drug manufacturing units and its healthcare system is largely based on western medicine.

Another concern which was raised by him was about the communication problem to which I answered that India has a large English-speaking population. I also told him that besides this India offers its visitors with a wide range of wellness tourism options like ayurveda, massages, yoga, acupuncture and naturopathy, as the medicine system in India largely believes in prevention. Hence soon after recovering from the surgery one can enroll themselves with some of the benefiting yoga sessions and Ayurvedic sessions along with enjoying a sightseeing trip in the country.

The medical tourism in India has benefited a large number of the population of the world but still it is essential to consult ones doctors and the medical tourism provider before making a decision about traveling so far to get the medical treatments. I also recommended him to get to know the experience of people who have undergone similar treatments in India.

Finally after five months Jaden visited India with his ailing aunt who got her bypass surgery done at one of the renowned hospitals in Delhi.

The Apollo Fertility and IVF Center is earning huge appreciation in the medical industry for providing the complete array of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) services to help a patient deliver a child. The priority of the organization is to ensure successful results in infertility treatment with reduced invasion. The doctors and professionals at the branches of the Apollo Fertility and IVF Center recommend for a proper examination of the patient, so that the professional could suggest the most appropriate treatment.

 

Assisted Reproductive Technology

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) is a medical technique that includes attempts to get pregnant through other than by intercourse. Here are some of the methods available at Apollo Fertility and IVF Center:

1. Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI): In this process, the processed semen is directly placed in the uterus of the patient, using a catheter. To ensure better results, IUI is done in a natural cycle. It is done after Ovarian stimulation / ovulation induction, through appropriate fertility enhancing drugs.

2. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Embryo Transfer (ET): This process is very popular as ‘Test Tube Baby’. In Vitro Fertilization the ovum is fertilized outside the body and thereafter, the fertilized ovum (embryo) is transferred into the uterus of the patient. This technique is practiced all over the globe.

3. Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): In the field of IVF, the ICSI has been a technological breakthrough. This method is to overcome the unfitness of sperm to fertilize an egg. In order to achieve fertilization, the sperm is directly infused into the cytoplasm of an egg. The procedure is same as that involved in IVF. The only difference is the fertilization is attained using a micromanipulator. In some cases, when there is an absence of sperm in the ejaculation, the sperm could be retrieved from the epididymis / testis. For retrieval, techniques such as MESA (Microsurgical Epididymal Sperm Aspiration), TESE (Testicular Sperm Extraction), PESA (Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration), and TESA (Testicular Sperm Aspiration) are used.

4. IVF using Donor Oocyte (Eggs): If the eggs of the patient fail to fertilize or patient is unable to produce their own eggs during an IVF cycle due to inadequate Oocyte quality, the patients are helped by utilizing eggs of other women (Donor Oocyte). Surrogacy and replacement of donor embryos are other alternates available for the infertile couple.

5. Assisted Hatching: This procedure is dependent on the fact that an undulation in the zona pellucida (outer covering of the egg) by thinning it or drilling a hole. This procedure will promote implantation or hatching of embryos, unable to break out intact from the outer covering of the egg (zona pellucid).

6. Cryo Preservation of Embryos: for many years, the Surplus (excess) Embryos at ultra low temperature can be cryo-preserved. Later, the frozen embryos could be used without egg retrieval and ovarian stimulation. The rate of pregnancy is relatively lower through frozen embryos in comparison to fresh embryos.

 

Semen / Sperm Freezing: For Apollo Fertility Treatment, the hospital is well equipped to store the Semen/Sperm or testicular biopsies at ultra low temperatures for a longer duration. The storage is future analysis or use.

Semen Bank: The hospital also boasts of its own semen bank. In this bank, frozen sperm from voluntary donors are stored. The sperms are characterized on the basis of different physical traits and backgrounds, meeting the individual needs. The donors are thoroughly screened to avoid any transmission of genetic or infectious diseases.

Risks Involved

• Multiple Pregnancy
• Ectopic Pregnancy
• Failure at different steps of IVF Treatment
• Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS)
• Congenital malformation in IVF babies is no more compared to the general population

Success Rate

The success rate of any treatment is one of the major aspects of influencing medical tourism in India. The age of the patient is the factor of consideration for IVF treatment. Along with this, experts and professionals in the hospital also ensure that the patient is free from abnormalities and factors that lead to infertility. According to the latest survey, the hospital has 30% – 40% pregnancy rate per attempt.