The Nordica Fertility Centre has recorded innovations in fibroids and Assisted Reproductive Technology ( ART) treatments such as In Vitro Fertilisation ( IVF), the Chief Executive Officer of the centre, Dr Abayomi Ajayi, has said.
He stated this during a virtual press conference organised by the centre to commemorate the 12 years anniversary of Nordica Fertility Centre, Abuja.
He said since the inception of the hospital in Lagos in 2003, it has grown in leaps and bounds to having more centres in Abuja and Asaba, Delta State.
He said, “For example, we were the first fertility hospital to use a specific regimen to prevent hyper stimulation in IVF patients; making the process more comfortable and reducing almost to zero the chance of hyperstimulation.
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“One of the challenges with IVF is hyper stimulation which can actually kill and I can confidently say in the last ten years, we have not had anybody who has been admitted for hyper-stimulation in our clinic because of what we have deployed.”
He said the facility was also the first to perform non-invasive pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT) in Nigeria, “enabling us to test embryos without taking a biopsy, and we’re still the only licensed clinic in Nigeria for this procedure.”
Dr Ajayi said studies conducted on male infertility across the three centres of the hospital also led it to implementing advanced techniques like intracytoplasmic sperm injection ( ICSI).
He said the study revealed that 12% of 900 patients tested across the three facilities of the hospital had no sperm at all.
“We have also seen that in the period of about 20 years, the sperm count of the men that we are treating had deteriorated by about 30% . So there is need for more attention to male infertility,” he said.
He highlighted that the centre is the only one in Nigeria and the entire West African region to deploy High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU). HIFU enables treatment of fibroids without surgery, minimising risks and recovery time.
He said HIFU technology was launched in the Abuja centre in July this year, adding, “Since July, the Abuja centre has treated 20 to 23 patients using HIFU, a testimony to the acceptability of the technology in the North Central region”.
He said, “These are some of the contributions we’re proud to have made to the industry, all of which Abuja residents and across the country are enjoying. The celebration also marks Nordica’s resilience in an economic landscape that has seen private healthcare facilities in Nigeria facing significant challenges.”
He added that during the 12 years, the Abuja centre has also donated equipment for cancer screening to enhance healthcare resources available to the broader community.
He further said over 5,000 children have been born through the clinic’s interventions, including In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).
He also advised women to freeze their eggs.
“People should consider egg freezing when they are young so that they don’ t have to use donor eggs when they get married especially now that many women are getting married in their 40s.
“When you use your eggs at above 40, the likelihood that you will miscarry is higher than a live birth but if you have frozen your eggs, the eggs stay the age with which the eggs are frozen.
“If you freeze your eggs at 32 and use them at 42, they retain the age and quality of a 32-year-old’s eggs,” he said.