Couples in Ahmedabad seeking IVF getting younger

There was a time when In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) was mostly associated with older couples trying for a baby. But now the age of couples opting for IVF has come down drastically thanks to a variety of factors.

Ahmedabad doctors say there are several reasons for this trend. Increased awareness about infertility and IVF is one of them. They also believe that factors like stress and unhealthy lifestyle are leading to infertility among young couples which in turn results in demand for IVF.

“I get cases where a couple is so busy that they don’t have enough time to be together. This is particularly true for those who work in the IT industry as they keep long hours and are often under stress. Such couples find it difficult to conceive and so come to us for IVF treatment,” said Dr Kanthi Bansal, infertility & IVF specialist.

She further said that stress and unhealthy lifestyle habits affect sperm motility (the ability of sperm to move properly towards an egg), which in turn may result in conception problems. But Dr Bansal also credits increased awareness about IVF as another reason why young couples who have difficulty in conceiving children opt for the same at an early age.

Doctors also said that unlike earlier years, nowadays a couple won’t wait for long for a natural pregnancy to happen. “Earlier a couple would wait for a long time, sometimes as long as five to 10 years before opting for IVF. But now with increased awareness, couples come to us the moment they think there is a problem. This is why there is a feeling that the age of the couple opting for IVF has gone down,” said Dr Manish Banker, infertility specialist.

He believes that stress is just one of the factors leading to infertility and not necessarily the main one. He said the average age of women opting for IVF is 29 to 30 years.

Echoing similar sentiments, Dr Nimisha Pandya, head of department, infertility clinic at Shalby Hospital said, “Nowadays patients know that age plays a big role in determining the success of IVF. Couples know that the younger they are the better is their chance of conceiving a baby through IVF. This is why they don’t wait long and are quick to approach a specialist if they fail to conceive naturally.”