Conceiving Hope: TTIVF offers 'safe space' for infertility talks

Infertility is common worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that one in eight people are affected by the disease.

And although there’s no definitive research, TTIVF and Fertility Centre medical director and consultant gynaecologist Dr Catherine Minto-Bain said it is estimated that this number might be higher for Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean – as many as one in six couples.

The disease is characterised by failure to get pregnant after 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. It does not discriminate; it affects people regardless of race, sexuality, economic status, or religion and it is a painful topic that many people prefer not to discuss.

"Infertility is such a hard thing for people to deal with, as there’s so much stigma and shame attached to it," Minto-Bain told Newsday.

But, she said, an inability to conceive can be because of a number of medical reasons and it is nothing to be ashamed of.

"Infertility is often caused by more than one reason...It means that your polycystic ovaries syndrome (PCOS), for example, might not be the only reason you can’t conceive. It might be your PCOS plus your partner’s sperm problems. There are scores of reasons for infertility, and in half of the cases a fertility doctor sees, more than one of those causes is present."

She said there is a very real stigma-based myth that infertility must be the woman’s problem, but it is more often a combination of male and female fertility problems.

"That means if you try to treat infertility by treating the woman only, you undermine your chances of success. You need to be treated as a couple by a fertility specialist who knows about both male and female infertility. It can be challenging but this is why TTIVF works very hard to get treatment off on the right foot by seeing both the male and female partner."

In fact, Minto-Bain said, her research shows in TT in about 50 per cent of infertility cases, the cause of the infertility is found to originate in the man. "This is a complicated statistic – Global research indicates that about one-third of infertility cases are due to male factors, one-third are due to female

factors, and one-third are due to a combination of both male and female factors."

She said the fact that either partner may have had a baby does not preclude infertility.

"Secondary infertility, defined as the inability to conceive or carry a baby to term after previously giving birth, is a real problem in Trinidad and Tobago. Secondary infertility has many different causes, can happen to both men and women and is much more common than you think.

"Worldwide statistics suggest that ten per cent of people have had secondary infertility. A common scenario we see involves a new couple who each have had children with other partners and now want to have a child together and can’t."

Infertility Awareness Week is observed from April 21-27 and this year's theme is Leave Your Mark. Minto Bain said its purpose is to get people become more educated about the disease, with the hope that they become empathic because of what they learn.

"Infertility is a sensitive and emotional topic. Raising awareness can help people understand and empathise with those who are struggling with infertility. It can also help to reduce stigma and shame surrounding infertility, and create a more supportive environment for those who are affected.

Minto-Bain estimates over eight million babies have been born using IVF (in vitro fertilisation) since the first test tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in England in 1978. The first IVF baby born in the English-speaking Caribbean was born in TT at TTIVF in 1997.

"...and we’ve brought more than 2,700 beautiful babies into the world."

Minto-Bain said she has consulted with hundreds of women and men who are hopeful of conceiving children of their own – some have been successful, other have not.

Last year, the centre hosted its first Conceiving Hope – a free interactive patient-centred event for women and men struggling to conceive. The post-event survey indicated that the people who attended represented every type of clinical infertility, from recurrent miscarriage to secondary infertility, to tubal ligation (a type of permanent birth control).

"We wanted to create a really safe space where women and men struggling with their fertility could have really open conversations. That was the starting point for us... just about everything that can affect fertility was up for discussion."

She said the event had several objectives, with the primary one being to help people struggling with infertility to understand they are not alone and there is help and hope.

"To create a uniquely safe space where women and men struggling with infertility can find support to travel their path to parenthood with hope and confidence...A safe space is a big deal. We go all out to protect participants’ privacy. We don’t publish photos of people who attend the event, we don’t record people at the event, we don’t even invite media. Infertility is so stigmatised and such an emotional topic that we want to support patients who are brave enough to come out to ask their questions."

The fertility centre will host the event again this year, on May 25, at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre.

Minto-Bain said the patient-centred forums opens a clear path to fertility treatment for participants, showing them how to take action.

"The Fertility Education programme covers every aspect of fertility – what it takes to make a baby; what causes infertility; and all the different infertility treatments including IUI (intrauterine insemination) and IVF."

Minto-Bain said last year she and her team of fertility doctors, nurses and fertility scientists (embryologists) also facilitated one-on-one conversations participants; walked patients through options and treatments, and booked free follow-up appointments at TTIVF clinics, on the spot.

“One of the most successful parts of Conceiving Hope last year was the Q&A session during the seminars. People got to submit their questions anonymously and our medical and science teams answered them. Our Q&A session went for over an hour and a half and we got more than 135 questions. So that’s definitely back on the agenda this year.”

She said many of the attendees booked free appointments at the fertility clinic and have moved on to fertility treatment.

"At least one couple is now pregnant with their IVF baby and the team is overjoyed."

She said said the centre set up several booths at which participants were able to get information based on their individual infertility needs.

These booths were devoted to IVF & IUI solutions including personalised treatment options such as donor eggs and donor sperm; exploring the science of male fertility and the many factors that affect sperm health; fertility testing including diagnostic tests; and PCOS and how it affects fertility.

"We expect 300 participants, full capacity, this year."

Conceiving Hope is free but space is limited. To register visit trinidadivf.com

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