Pregnancy, Prices And Posh Perks: Navigating The Infertility Economy

“Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out,” instructs my yoga instructor as I try and focus on prenatal yoga class in a week packed with work, an overdue scan and gynaecologist appointment. I reminisce on just how quickly life has changed in a short time, as my instructor continues to coax me into practicing some mindfulness.

My husband and I got married less than a year ago. We were both aligned on wanting a child at some point. Medical research does appear to indicate that the decline in fertility sees some acceleration around the age of 35. And so the imaginary ticking time bomb on both of our heads convinced us that we should begin trying sooner rather than later. We were not alone in our fears.

Several family and friends in a similar age bracket confessed feeling overwhelmed navigating the fertility economy — fertility assessments, fertility enhancing surgeries, in-vitro fertilisation and the costs associated with these.

Nearly one in six couples globally now face challenges in some form or another when trying to conceive, said Dr Kshitiz Murdia – CEO and whole-time director at Indira IVF, citing a WHO report. Closer home, the industry is growing at a pace of 12.5% per annum, with growth increasingly being driven by those from tier 2 and 3 cities, according to Murdia. Nearly 25 to 30 million Indians suffer from infertility, with barely 5 to 6 lakh of those seeking any form of treatment, he says.

Along with the toll on medical and physical health that treatments such as IVF can take, the very big hole they burn in your pocket can’t be missed. IVF involves spending Rs 2 lakh on an average for 1.5 attempts, according to Murdia. As such, affordability remains a key issue.

Some corporate employee insurance programs have started to provide cover for fertility treatments too, he added, but of course affordability still remains a key issue. Sounds stressful? 'Breathe in, breathe out!'

Until next weekend.