(Sharing my Toastmasters speech here to re-active this blog site after a very long hiatus 😂. ).
This is my 3rd speech from my Ice Breaker speech. I chose to share this because i found some interesting information while researching about this topic that is also very personal to me.
Do you remember a time when you were young and curios and you asked your parents in your most aksimus and innocent way “Mom,Dad how did i get inside your tummy?” Or have you ever wondered how we were conceived from the very start? From my basic understanding and from what i have learned in Science class we are all born and made out of someone’s LOVE and that there is a UNION between 2 living cells inside us known as the SPERM and the EGG. They meet along the fallopian tubes and settle together in the uterus until it matures. Sounds simple, right? I thought so too. I thought bringing a human to life is that EASY but NO. Not all the time.
Back in 2012, this was 4 years after my husband and i got married and 4 years of trying to conceive, we received a diagnosis from my OB gynecologist that i am a candidate for infertility. One of the reasons she saw from my medical test results was my ”Endometriosis” (a disorder wherein a tissue that is supposed to grow inside the linings of my uterus or the womb, grows outside the uterus or my other organs. Then i had “ovarian aging” which meant aging of the ovaries. My ovaries were 4 years older than my age of 29! And my doctor strongly suggested that our only option to conceive is this very meticulous medical procedure called IVF or In-Vitro Fertilization also known as the “Test-tube baby” procedure.
According to my doctor, Dra. Marivic Tan, a well known infertility specialist in Cebu, it is the unnatural way of conceiving. It is an Assited Reproductive Technology where in it involves retrieval of eggs from a woman’s ovary and fertilizing them with the sperm in the laboratory. The Fertilized egg will then become Embryo and is later stored and frozen until it is ready to be implanted to the woman’s womb. We were only given around 20% of chance of success According to her experience this procedure has become a go to option to couples with infertility issues.
Did you know that in the Philippines alone 1 out of 10 Filipinos suffers Infertility? This was cited by Dr. Virgilio M. Novero Jr., head of the Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine and Infertility (CARMI) at St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Philippines, from a 2013 market research survey done by Synovate. And according to the World Health Organization or WHO, Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve natural pregnancy after 12 months or more of unprotected intercourse. Other factors that may lead to infertility can be the following: Blocked, damaged or absence of fallopian tubes, Male infertility, auto immune disease or any unexplained infertility because of age and lifestyle.
BUT….. HERE IS THE GREAT NEWS!
Thanks to these 3 brilliant British researchers ROBERT EDWARDS, PATRICK STEPTOE, JEAN PURDY who pioneered a reproductive technology that would give HOPE to infertility since 1969. Their 10 years of dedication and experimentation came to life in the name of Louise Brown on July 25,1978 ( the 1st IVF baby that was born). The facts and the scientific data collected from this breakthrough has been on display at the Science Museum in London that culminated during Mrs. Brown’s 40th birthday last July 2018.
Since then the evidence of the efficacy of In Vitro Fertilization has not only brought over 8 MILLION IVF born babies in the world but most of all this technology has somehow given HOPE to families with fertility problem JUST LIKE ME!
This CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY then became very famous and readily available not only in Europe but also to the rest of the countries in America, Asia and of course it also settled in the Philippines back in 1995. But how much does this treatment cost? According to Smart Parenting article in September 2016, few years ago it ranges from P500k to close to a Million! But as time goes by and with more access to it, it now ranges from P 200K- P500K. Still quite a huge number for making a baby, right? But with the HOPES of fulfilling a DREAM to build a FAMILY is GREATER. “In fact, 400 Filipino couples go to one of the famous facilities in Taiwan - Lee Women’s Hospital every year,” said Director Pin Yao Lin an interview with Manila Times in 2019.
Other fertility facilities have grown across our country as well, like in Manila- there is KATO Repro Biotech Center, CARMI / Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at ST. LUKES medical center. And 3 more others. While in Cebu- we have Repro Optima Center of Reproductive Health and another 1 in Davao. It has in fact within the filipino families reach.
The 1st time we learned about this scientific option, it was like THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL for us. Eventhough we failed the procedure twice already, the most recent In January of 2020, and eventhough how painful it is emotionally, financially and physically, there is HOPE. For as long as God will give us the means and ways for the next treatment, we would still choose to take another chance to work out for this dream.
For the rest of the ladies and families who are experiencing the same difficulty, always remember that even though Science can give us Hope in the hands of Technology but coupled with prayers, AND WITH GOD NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.
Thank you.
