SHAH ALAM - Financial constraints remain one of the biggest challenges for women in the country in seeking in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, says fertility consultant.
KL Fertility Clinic obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Natasha Ain Mohd Noor said financing the treatment happened to be on top of the list of challenges that women face as they consider IVF in order to conceive.
She said this was because most women in Malaysia needed to fork out their own money to be able to pay for the fertility treatment, which was even more expensive at private clinics.
"I am glad now that we have a lot of incentives, where we can now take out money from the Employees Provident Fund and are able to enjoy tax relief (for expenses for fertility treatment).
"So that’s a good effort from the government since it can encourage women, especially those with financial issues, to be able to pay for the treatment,” she said.
However, the government has to put a limit on how many women could benefit from its incentives.
Dr Natasha said this when sharing her opinion and experience in treating IVF patients on Sinar Daily's talkshow Relatable, entitled "The Struggles of Conceiving" at Kompleks Karangkraf, here.
She also said another challenge for women happens to be the age factor where they will be bringing the excess baggage from the past as their biological clock ticks away, reducing the effectiveness of the IVF treatment.
"But remember that age is not something you can change.
"So leave everything in the past behind, move forward and the team from the clinic will be there to help you along the way. We will even be your punching bag, it is fine because we understand that it is stressful,” she said.
She advised that those wanting to do the IVF treatment to remember that this is a team effort . As you prepare for the treatment, there will be those involved but don’t expect to just ask us to fix you or that you want to be pregnant now.
"We have to work on this together, this is teamwork and it is not easy but we will get there,” she said.
Not only that, but there is also the possibility of not being able to conceive at all.
According to Natasha, every woman who comes in for the IVF treatment wants a baby but there is a minority who are not able to conceive even after multiple rounds of treatment.
In addition, she said those who were considering IVF treatment will also need to prepare themselves in terms of mental stability and commitment.
"Another challenge is to be prepared mentally to get through the treatment and commit yourself to it where you need to be aware that you might have to take multiple medical leaves and time off from work as you go for the treatment,” she added.
During the live show, Dr Natasha was joined by two other panelists with experience in IVF treatment who were model Kim Raymond and entrepreneur Hazwani Mohd.
The episode addressed the causes of infertility, the social stigma surrounding infertility, and how it is always perceived exclusively as a women’s problem.
It was reported that IVF treatment in Malaysia could cost from around RM 18,000, depending on an individual while the average cost for the first visit was between RM600 and RM800 which includes basic testing, ultrasound, and consultation with the doctor.