Harare (New Ziana) -The in vitro fertilisation (IVF) programme which was re-introduced in Zimbabwe in 2016 by a team led by Dr Tinovimba Mhlanga has proved a great success with 197 live births recorded so far, and more expected before the end of the year.
IVF is a procedure that involves fertilisation of a woman’s eggs with sperm outside her body, in a dish in a laboratory.
After three to five days, one or two of the embryos that are beginning to form are placed in the woman’s womb, where they continue to develop normally.
The procedure can be used where a woman is unable to conceive naturally due to factors such as blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, endometriosis, ovulation disorders such as polycystic ovarian disease, premature ovarian failure, uterine fibroids, a genetic disorder or a male infertility factor such as low sperm count or abnormal sperm among other conditions.
As with natural conception, not every pregnancy results in a live birth, since miscarriages can happen with any pregnancy.
The success rate varies with age, with women aged between 20 and 35 having the best chance of a successful outcome.
Once one gets to 40 years the success rate drops to 10 percent and at age 42 the odds diminish to 5 percent.
Dr Mhlanga and his team began the IVF in 2016 in a laboratory attached to an operating theatre at a private clinic in the capital.
They now have their own spacious IVF Zimbabwe Centre which has consultation rooms, an ultrasound facility, pharmacy, general laboratory for chemistry, haematology and medical microbiology tests.
The centre also has an operating theatre, recovery ward, the IVF laboratory, maternity and labour wards.
“We have brought convenience to our patients. We are able to look after them and provide everything they need at the centre, from the first consultation and tests to the birth of their baby,” said Dr Mhlanga.
“Because we are a specialist IVF centre, everyone here is trained to look after our sub-fertile patients with great care. This helps to de-stigmatise sub-fertility.”
Dr Mhlanga rejects the notion of infertility preferring the term sub-fertility because, he says, infertile sounds final, when most people can become fertile with the help of modern medical procedures.
The centre is manned by two gynaecologists, Dr Mhlanga and Dr Sidney Farayi, two embryologists, namely Tinei Makurumure and Brain Magaisa, and six nurses headed by Florence Marechera, who is also a counsellor, as well as other administrative and ancillary staff.
Makurumure and Marechera were among the original team that started the IVF project with Dr Mhlanga.
The world’s first “test tube baby” was born as a result of IVF in the United Kingdom in 1978 and in Zimbabwe Dr Tony Robertson pioneered the procedure in the 1980s and 1990s, resulting in 52 babies being born through the procedure.
In 2000 Dr Robertson left the country for a year and although the programme continued for a while in his absence, it was not as successful and was discontinued.
Dr Robertson, although retired, supported and assisted Dr Mhlanga and Makurumure, both of whom had undergone specialist training in South Africa and Australia, in the reintroduction of the programme in 2016.
In April 2017 the first baby was born as a result of the new IVF programme and a year later another seven babies had been born making eight altogether.
Now, more than 6 years later, 197 babies have been born and with others on the way, it is expected the number will soon have exceeded 200.
Two of the babies were born in the United States of America and five in the United Kingdom after their parents came to Zimbabwe and had successful IVF cycles.
New Ziana
