Doctor warns of risks for mother, baby especially if woman is of advanced age, suffering from ailments

  DUBAI – A fertility expert has warned that in vitro fertility (IVF) treatment is not for all women to take advantage of, especially those who have ailments that can put her and the baby at risk. Dr. Pankaj Shrivastav, head of the Conceive Fertility Hospital in Jumeirah Lakes Towers, said the IVF done on a 63-year-old Sri Lankan woman who gave birth last Sunday to a baby girl via caesarean section "was an abuse of IVF." He also said the risks to the mother and the infant "were too great with parents of that age." The woman, who underwent IVF in Chennai, India, gave birth to a 2.3-kg baby girl prematurely at the Thumbay Hospital last Sunday. The mother and baby are doing well and were scheduled to leave the hospital yesterday. The woman decided to undergo IVF as she and her 61-year-old Indian husband who working in Ras Al Khaimah wanted to have a child. The woman already has two children from a previous marriage – the eldest being 13 years old. A caesarean operation had to be performed on the woman because of complications, it was learned. She had gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia or hypertension during pregnancy, and placenta previa wherein her placenta blocked the uterus making normal delivery impossible. Shrivastav said the rule in India is that the combined age of a couple in order to qualify for IVF should be less than 100. He said considering the age of the Sri Lankan woman and of her Indian husband,"who knows how long they have left to live?" He said India started regulating IVF treatments after a 65-year-old woman there gave birth to twins and then never got out of bed. "Within a year, she died," he added. GAC/Expat 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