IVF success: Mixed blessings of multiple births
Millions of babies have been born through in vitro fertilisation in Nigeria and all over the world. IVF has enabled millions of couples worldwide to conceive. However, the transfer of multiple embryos during IVF increases the risk of multiple births (twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.).
While this can increase the chances of a successful pregnancy, it also carries risks for both the mother and the babies, including premature delivery, low birth weight, and an increased risk of complications like gestational diabetes.
Multiple births can also occur when multiple eggs are fertilised or when a single embryo splits during the early stages of development.
However, when you become a father or mother after years of struggling with infertility, you’re more than likely to be elated to have multiple births. Children conceived through IVF are as cherished and loved as those conceived naturally. This holds true for many men and women who have faced infertility before becoming parents.
One such case is Deborah Isaac, who got pregnant for the first time after 16 fruitless years of marriage and became a mother of triplets at 55. She married at 39, and after battling infertility for years, Deborah conceived at 54 and, on her 55th birthday, delivered triplets—two girls, Irene and Rita, and a boy, Daniel. They are doing excellently well and have just clocked three years.
Deborah said the joy of being a mother was indescribable. She opted for IVF because she didn’t have children earlier, and she was already advanced in age when she underwent IVF and had the triplets. Now she is happy that she has her own biological children.
IVF worked for Deborah, and she says she did not even feel that it was expensive. She spent all her savings, but it was worth it. Deborah’s story is one of the countless cases of post-menopausal pregnancy—that is, women who become mothers after menopause.
Women who are pre-menopausal benefit even more from IVF and other Assisted Reproduction Techniques. Kemi, who waited 14 years to have her twins, says that conceiving through IVF is worth the cost.
Kemi, 37, and her spouse Funsho, 41, agree that the idea of children conceived through IVF and other ART procedures is more real today than ever before. They have two daughters, Abigail and Isabella, after waiting 14 years, and they are now eight years old. As parents, Kemi and Funsho are so proud that they didn’t sit at home thinking there is a witch in the village haunting them.
Admitting that the IVF procedure can be expensive, Kemi said couples who work towards it usually find it achievable and affordable. She admonishes infertile couples not to fold their hands and sit back, thinking there is a witch in the village blocking their womb and preventing them from conceiving. She says couples should get up and seek medical advice. IVF babies are normal babies; if your doctor says you need IVF, go for it. Save the money, it is achievable. “We did it,” she remarks.
Olusoji and Modinat are also proud parents of healthy twins, Joseph and Josephine. They had them after 19 years of fruitless marriage, at a time when Modinat was close to 50. Both babies are doing marvellously well.
Many people run from IVF, thinking that IVF children, whether single or multiple, are not normal, but the parents of these babies testify that they are perfectly normal, healthy, and have a high IQ. Olusoji and Modinat are spreading the gospel about how IVF babies are solutions for couples with fertility challenges.
Omolara, 34, had a great birth with twins (and a good pregnancy too). After being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, a female factor infertility problem, she opted for IVF with ICSI and had an eventful pregnancy until she went into labour.
She didn’t need special care or anything, and the first twin, Oluwaseun, was born after just three hours of labour. The second twin, Anuoluwa, was born almost 15 minutes afterwards, and they all went straight into a private ward once Omolara had been cleaned up. They were kept in for three nights, but only because they needed to ensure that blood sugar levels were okay before we went home.
The time in the hospital was exciting, and everyone made a big fuss over the twins. They have not had any health issues.
Gabriella’s story is no different. She had struggled to conceive her first child, and her first pregnancy was ectopic. After years of trying, she and her spouse were referred to a fertility clinic in Lagos. She entered the clinic with a lot of anxiety and was soon advised to proceed with IVF, so the 38-year-old schoolteacher went for IVF.
The first round of IVF was successful. After injecting the IVF drugs, the egg retrieval process started, and 17 eggs were retrieved, 12 of which were fertilized. Several embryos were developed, but just two were transferred into her womb. Gabriella became pregnant, and the couple was finally having their much-desired baby. The elation was unparalleled. Luckily for her, eight years later, she has two healthy children. Those two embryos became their beautiful twins—John and Janet. The due date happened to fall on her birthday, which felt like a special sign. They are IVF babies, only four years old, but exceptionally bright and healthy.
Simisola and Oluseyi had been married for 11 years before their triplets—Temilola, Tiwalola, and Tolulola—were conceived through IVF when Simisola turned 45.
The proud father, Oluseyi, explains that many families are either unaware of the benefits of IVF or shy away from the cost. Nevertheless, people can draw from their experience. They’ve been there and have a successful story of how they struggled through thick and thin. Their IVF babies are beautiful, intelligent, and normal.
