…begins mental health care services in Nordica Fertility Centre

By Joseph Erunke, ABUJA

Renowned fertility specialist and Managing Director of Nordica Fertility Centre, Dr Abayomi Ajayi, says depression is contributing to the infertility rate in the country.

He, however, observed that both fertility treatment experts and patients had not taken note of that contributory factor.

To this end, the consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist said he has decided to incorporate mental health care services in Nordica Fertility Centre.

Ajayi, who spoke to newsmen in Abuja on his exploits in mental health, insisted that the issue was one that people had not paid much attention to in infertility treatment.

He explained that his venture into mental health services was aimed at contributing positively to In vitro fertilization and, IVF ecosystem in the nation’s capital city.

The foremost fertility expert, speaking on the chances of success in IVF, named age as another factor. He said patients over 45 have lower chances of success than those below that age.

He observed that some relationships had broken down irretrievably, even those of couples that succeeded in IVF procedures, due to mental health.

“With the mental health services, we will be able to contribute positively to the IVF ecosystem in Abuja.

We are happy that we set off Abuja in IVF, and we will also want to be able to take it to the next level next year in the treatment of fibroids because, by then, we will also be adding the HIFU machine, “he said.

Speaking on mental health services, he said, One of the things we want to bring into our service is how to identify people who need extra care. We want to transition from just being an IVF clinic to saying, ‘Look, it’s beyond just having a baby because one of the things that couples face is mental health.

“No matter how good you are, you have a failure rate. Some people must fail. How do the people who failed react to the failure? A lot comes from knowledge. Even before you start the treatment, a lot comes from knowledge. Some people come with the notion that it would work 100 percent, and they sell houses and whatever they want to sell and prepare for one circle; it’s the easiest way to get discouraged.

“A failed circle can affect a couple, and that is one thing that we Nigerians don’t know. Even the people who have failed circle, when we tell them to go talk to a counselor, they say no.

“Nigerians think talking to a counselor is a sign of weakness. The way we absorb shock in Nigeria, we think it’s by ignoring it that would make it go away. But most of the time, it doesn’t go away; it’s there, it’s somewhere, and before we know it, something new happens, and then we break down.

“We tend to see ourselves as very strong. Yes, we are because life experiences have taught us a lot of things, but still, everybody has an elastic limit. It gets to the point where you break down. So, those are some of the things that we also want to start putting into our service—how to attend to these people, how to even identify people that need that extra care? So we want to transition from just being an IVF clinic to where we can put your mental health as related to it, because we know that infertility is one of the toughest things that couples can face.”

He observed that infertility tests the faith of couples in different ways.

“No matter how strong you are, it tests your relationship, it tests who you are, and it tests your faith in God. And when you do the treatment and it fails, it tests everything in you. So, patients must also be prepared for this.

“We have gone beyond the days where they will start asking if IVF is possible in Nigeria. We know that it’s possible because we have thousands of babies. But the next step should be mental health because we have people who have succeeded, and after success, their families have broken up. That shows that we, the practitioners and not only the consumers, are not paying attention to mental health and its effect on relationships.

“So, that is the next step that we want to be able to go into—to say it’s beyond just having a baby.

Whether you have a baby or don’t, how can we make sure that you are well? We can’t guarantee 100 percent, but we just try the best that we can. We want to make that available. We know it’s going to be a hard sell, as we know that many couples don’t even work together, he said.

Speaking further, he said, “Most of the time, I assume that love is not the problem in many marriages, especially when they face infertility. It is what life is throwing at them that they cannot handle, and some of these things include infertility. Sometimes, success is a factor. We are talking about infertility here, and how can we help people so that when couples succeed, they are still together?

“That is what we are trying to bring to Nordica, apart from what we have done in Lagos, where we have been able to treat 385 fibroid patients without surgeries.

“Your mood affects whether you get pregnant or don’t get pregnant, so when you are depressed, the chances of getting pregnant are less, even when you do IVF because implantation is still an interplay of hormones.

“Studies have shown that mood affects the success rate of IVF. That is why we advise people against taking actions that can lead to depression.”

Speaking of age as another factor, Dr Ajayi explained: “Age is the number one reason for failure. The quality of the sperm starts decreasing after about 45 years. That does not mean that it cannot father a child, but the chances are lower than the sperm of a younger man. So even if the wife is 25, if you are over 45 years old, the chances are lower than a 30-year-old man. And also, the chances that there will be errors in the baby with abnormalities are higher because of this age factor.”

He disclosed that he has purchased a High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound, HIFU machine to be deployed to Abuja for the treatment of fibroids, just as the centre has been doing in Lagos, with the treatment of 385 fibroids so far without surgeries.

Recall that HIFU is a new technique for treating uterine fibroid and adenomyosis. It is for women who may not be fit for surgery or are scared of going through open surgery (invasive) and its associated challenges.