I have done my MD in Gynaecology/Obstetrics and senior residency from Dayanand Medical College and hospital in Ludhiana in the year 2000.. I did research job in PGI Chandigarh and thereafter was in private practice in Chandigarh. I am running a state of the art IVF Centre in Jalandhar by the name of Mannat - A Fertility and IVF Centre. It is a tertiary centre of infertility management offering Endoscopy, IUI, IVF, ICSI, high risk obstetrics all under one roof.

A large number of couples are not aware of the fertile days and consider the early days as the fertile days instead of the middle days. We have to explain the ovulation cycle and days to them. Apart from this there is a myth that only the females can have the cause of infertility and men think that nothing can go wrong with them. Apart from that people have loads of myths about various food items, lucky and unlucky days and the list goes on.

That was soon after I did my MD. During MD I had a keen interest in infertility management and reproductive endocrinology. After that, I got a change to practice in an IVF centre and learn ART Techniques and interact with eminent and renowned IVF specialists from India and abroad.

Patients have to take medicines and injections and can rarely have allergy to that. There is a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, but the newer injections that we are using now has reduced the risk to a significant extent. It is overall a very safe procedure which requires no admission, surgery or scars.

It is a deeply satisfying experience to bring happiness and joy of parenthood into the life of couple who have been struggling for years to have their own child. It is very rewarding and I can't substitute the contentment I feel after attaining succes in our treatment with anything else.

It meas a failure to conceive inspite of the routine fertility investigations being normal. It could be due to a poor egg reserve, undiagnosed infections of due to inherent problems in eggs and sperms preventing fertilization. It is really tough to explain as the patient have been to many hospitals and taken many medicines and treatments and often they are told that they don't need any further treatment.

It is the individualized and ethical treatment given to all couples, tailored according to their needs. A personal interation with couples, detailed counselling, friendly and courteous doctos and staff at our centre add to the comfort of patients so that they have a pleasant experience. We are offering all the latest and best techniques for treating infertility like IULIVE, ICSO, sperm and embryo freezing, egg donation etc.

It requires intensive counselling. They need utomost care and we try to address all their fears and concerns. We have to keep the hope alive in them so that they don't get depressed during treatment.

A couple which fails to concieve after one year of trying should consult an infertility expert. However if there is late marriage or other obvious causes of infertility such as PCOD, amenorrhoea, oligomenorrhoea, fibroids or endometriosis, they sould consult an infertility expert earlier.

IVF was traditionally started for women who had blocked tubes, which is an absolute indication for IVF. Women with endometriosis (Chocolate Cysts) Prolonged unexplained infertility i.e. conception not occuring since >3 years, with both the husband and wife having normal tests and no apparent cause of infertility. Any couple with failed multiple (4-6) cycles of IUI (Intra Uterine Insemination). Severe polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOD) Women with pelvic TB Women with problems of egg rupture. Decreased/absent sperm count in husband (with the help of ICSI) Women with previous surgeries, sterilization (Tubectomy) operation Failed tuboplasty (i.e. blocked tubes could not be opened by surgeries) Infertility due to any cause, not responding to other methods of treatment.

The treatment is simple and involves no pain, admission or surgery. It could be however emotionally challenging as the couples have been facing the personal and social problems of infertility for years. There is a strong desire to have a baby on the one hand and a lot of societal pressure for the same which makes it hard. There is a need to have strong medical, social and financial support system throughout the treatment.

They need to have a basic understanding of the treatment procedure and adhere to the medicines and advice given by the doctor. They should have to be positive outlook and trust and confidence in the treating doctor.

Patient's should look for qualification of the doctor, registration of the centre with the local offices and check the facilities offered by the centre. Doctors have to be duly registered witht the State Medical Council or the Indian Medical Council. The treatment should be transparent and pocket friendly.

I had a patient who never had periods and a very small uterus. I gave her medicines for six months and prepared the uterus and then started with the IVF cycle. The best part is she concieved in the first cycle. There was another case where one of my patients had the history of undergoing seven IVF cycles in the past and then she conceived in the eight cycle - now she is carrying twins. It is indeed a challenge to put the smiles back in such patients' lives.

I like to spend quality time with my family and two sons. I like reading books, listening to music, dancing and chilling out with friends.

The procedure involves 4-5 visits to the IVF centre over a duration of 2-3 weeks. There is no admission required and monitoring of treatment is done by ultrasound [TVS]. On the day of egg collection oocyte retrieval only, the wife may be required to stay for a few hours. If there is a time contraint, as in case of many couples who come to us for treatment from other countries, their duration of stay can be shortened if they take prior appointments by telephone or email, medicines can be sent to them if required in the month prior IVF. Sometimes the wife can stay back but the husband has to go back early - we have the facility for freezing [Cryopreservation] of sperms and ICSI is done with thawed sperms even in the absence of the husband. With prior appointment, the whole cycle of IVF can be completed in 4 weeks.

1. Controlled Ovarian Stimulation
. Injections are given daily for 8-12 days after the menstrual cycle to stimulate several eggs to mature. GNRH agonists/antagonists are used to prevent the formed eggs from rupturing on their own. Monitoring of treatment is done by measuring the size and number of folliciles by ultrasound (TVS). Dose of medicines/injection is given for final maturation of eggs.

2. Egg Collection [ Ooctye Retrieval ]
Done 34-36 hours after last injection. Guided by Ultrasound [TVS]. Painless procedure as it is done under general Anaesthesia, and lasts between 10-20 minutes.

3. Sperm sample
Sperm sample is provided by husband on the same day when eggs are collected. In the absence of husband, his frozen-thawed sperms can be used for ICSI or IVF.

4. Fertilization
Few hours after egg collection, they are placed with sperms and cultured together overnight or ICSI is done if sperms are less in number. Eggs are examined next day under microscope for development.

5. Embryo transfer [ ET ]
Done three or five days after eggs are taken. It is a simple, painless procedure taking only a few minutes. Embryos are placed in uterus using a special catheter, under Ultrasound guidance. 2-3 embryos are usually placed in uterus - spare embryos can be frozen. FORM LINKS WHO'S ONLINE We have one guest and no members online