ABU DHABI // “There is no other joy greater than motherhood and I want every woman to cherish this,” says Dr Monika Chawla.
Driven by this philosophy, she has devoted her life to helping couples to overcome fertility problems.
Dr Chawla, who has two sons herself, is a specialist at Fakih IVF fertility clinic in Abu Dhabi.
Born in India, Dr Chawla was just 16 when she became the youngest student in the Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi.
After graduating, she went to study in London, where she first gained an interest in treatments for infertility. In 2005, she finished her studies and decided to move to this country.
“I wanted to come to the UAE because I had never experienced the Middle East culture, which was a bit unknown to me,” she said. “It has been a great journey so far.”
In the years she has been here, she has seen huge improvement in the effectiveness of infertility treatment.
Previously, couples would go overseas to seek treatment, but now Dr Chawla believes facilities in the country match those found elsewhere in the world.
“We expected infertility treatment to have a future in the UAE but have been amazed at the way it has come up,” she said. “We never thought one day the UAE would become topmost choice for infertility treatment compared with other parts of the world. In the past four to five years, I have seen complete change. Now the best of technologies are available here in the UAE.”
Another change is that there is less of a stigma attached to infertility, especially for Emiratis.
Of the average of 25 patients she sees a day, about 20 of these are Emiratis. Also, she said, more men are realising that they may be responsible for the fertility issue.
“Earlier I used to see lot of Emirati women coming alone. Now they are very happy to bring their husbands along,” she said.
“Emirati men are much better ... when it comes to showing a sense of responsibility,” she said. “They are very supportive, forward looking and very caring. The whole blame used to be put on the wife, but now they realise that it is a common responsibility.”
Dr Chawla believes infertility treatment is much more than the medical procedures, as proper counselling and support are equally important.
The treatment takes a physical and mental toll on the patient, so maintaining a positive outlook is vital.
“In infertility treatment, it is all about moving on, to keep on trying and never lose hope.
“It is about finding the right treatment at the right time,” she said, adding that is why she keeps close contact with all her patients.
She said this was especially important in Emirati society, because “people wish to have bigger families and sometimes it becomes difficult for women to deal with that pressure [of being infertile].”
Also, unlike other parts of the world, egg donations and surrogacy are illegal in this country.
“These limitations push you to perform better. It forces us to use other alternatives,” she said.
Although the high cost of treatment means there is money to be made, Dr Chawla said there was more to the industry than profit.
“I don’t like the term infertility industry. It sounds very commercial. But with the kind of money involved, we cannot deny its scale,” she said.
With the rise of medical tourism, Dr Chawla sees infertility as a growth market. Yet, as more centres open, she believes quality of care will not decline.
“The UAE Government is very strict in issuing licences and doing quality checks. They never compromise.” she said. “It is predicted that about 6,000 cycles of treatment per year will be running in this region by 2015, so there is a need for more centres and more professionals.”
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
