For many newly married couples, the urge for a child of their own becomes a top priority in their first few years of marriage. That sounds doable on paper, however, there exist thousands of cases where the desire for a baby becomes the source of antagonism when it takes too long.
Infertility strains marriages Pressure for a baby from family, friends and members of the public becomes the order of the day, throwing the one-time happy couple into a dark patch in their lives.
A few are able to withstand the pressure and hold on, but many times the constant haranguing creates cracks in the marriage that, if not sealed in time, break the two. Things often become complicated in the event the couple goes for a medical check-up and receives the heartbreaking news that the man/woman is infertile.
“I am desperate for a baby. I have already had several miscarriages and lost a total of seven embryos over the years, it even affected my marriage,” one woman told TUKO.co.ke
The IVF Option Thanks to the ever-changing technology in medicine, couples with infertility challenges have the option of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) where an egg is removed from the woman’s ovaries and fertilized with sperm in a laboratory.
IVF is becoming one of the most sought-after options to help people with fertility problems have babies.
The good news is that the technique has proved efficient for many, but the bad news is that it is not affordable for many middle and low-income earners. Research shows that the costs range from KSh 90,000 for the transfer of frozen embryos, KSh 462,000 for treatment with an own egg donor, and KSh 492,000 for treatment with an anonymous egg donor.
Teachers can benefit from IVF For educators under the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), there is reason to smile about as Minet Kenya, the custodian of the medical scheme caters for part of the expense.
The idea behind it, according to Minet Kenya CEO Sammy Muthui, is to give teachers reason to remain upbeat and execute their duties without family issues bothering their minds. Mr Muthui added that the benefit is available for only principal members and/or their spouses and is covered under the inpatient benefit as per the available limit.
“We have agreed on rates with empanelled facilities that offer IVF services, i.e., Fertility Point, Hospital and Mediheal Group of Hospitals (Parklands and Eldoret),” he explained.
To enjoy the service, a member visits the accredited facility with a history of fertility-related reports/ Imaging (scans) done previously, after which a request is made to the insurer for approval. Once the insurer accesses the request on a case-to-case basis, checks medical history as well as current gynaecologist review and recommendation, approval is issued to the hospital and the client is informed.
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