Improving Fertility Treatment Outcomes
It is not common to see innovation as a driving force for a fertility service provider. But you would be surprised to know how small service providers are using innovation as their core value proposition. These providers have embraced innovation as a critical strategic platform. Some of them have partnered with companies and some have their in-house scientific collaboration. These providers see innovation as the path to the future. These are some of the most innovative fertility service providers in India and their story needs to be told. Fertility services market India is a huge market for fertility services due to the number of couples seeking fertility treatments. It is also known for surrogacy and good medical care which lays the foundation for foreign nationals to seek treatment here. Today, fertility treatments are not only available to those who can afford them but it has also reached the poor marginal people. Treatments like in vitro fertilisation, artificial insemination, and surrogacy are available abundantly in India.
According to the report published by Allied Market Research, India’s in vitro fertilisation market stood at a revenue of $793.27 million in 2020 and is predicted to amass $3.72 billion by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 16.45 per cent from 2021 to 2030.
Growth drivers
The rise in accessibility and increasing proximity of healthcare facilities act as growth drivers of the market incessantly. The recent spike in modernisation along with all the research and development sectors also boosts the market growth. The insurance coverage for IVF procedures and an increase in the number of IVF procedures due to male infertilities and ovarian failures spike up the demand for fertility services. Late parenthood as a lifestyle coupled with rising disposable income also triggers market growth.
Challenges and Prospects
Like many medical segments, the fertility service is also impacted by the high cost of care. The devices used in IVF and the highly specialised manpower impacts the cost of these treatments. Even though many centres have been able to innovate to bring down the costs, the cost of drugs and imported devices has not been curtailed. This is a challenge for the providers. Innovations in IVF Technologies such as embryo scope and capsule IVF have led to increasing demand and leverage of fertility services. Apart from this, the rise in the utilisation and mergence of fertility clinics and the rampant increase in the same-sex marriage trigger lots of innovations in procreation techniques.
This provides lucrative opportunities for the expansion of the market.
Innovative Centers
• Jaslok Hospital (Department Of Assisted Reproduction And Genetics), Mumbai
• Oasis Fertility, Hyderabad
• Bmom Fertility and Research Center,Bangalore
• OSHERM
• Bavishi Fertility Institute, Ahmedabad
• Chennai Fertility Centre
• Centre for research in assisted reproduction and fetal therapy (CRAFT), Kochi
• Sabine Hospital & Research Centre, Kochi
• Indira IVF, Udaipur
• NU Fertility, Bengaluru
Dr Firuza Parikh, HoD, is a well-known name in the fertility service circle. Dr Parikh and her team have several firsts to their credit including South-East Asia’s first micromanipulation baby in 1994 and the first laser-hatching
pregnancy in 1999. More recently, she introduced the technique of Cumulus- Aided Embryo Transfer (CAT) to the world.
“I was very fortunate to work at Jaslok, it has a very forward-looking perspective. We have a very cohesive unit here. There was a time when we used to get patients with low sperm count and mobility so we started doing our initial work with micro-manipulation which is intra-cytoplasmic sperm injections. Now this was so new all over the world that there were hardly any centres doing this and people were surprised that we were doing this here,” she shares. Oasis Fertility, Hyderabad Oasis Fertility is a pioneer in reproductive medicine in the country and has been offering an outstanding treatment experience to couples in their parenthood journey. Highly personalised fertility treatments backed by cutting-edge technologies make Oasis stand out from the crowd. Talking to IndiaMedToday exclusively interview, Kiran Gadela, Co-Founder and MD said, “Breaking the barriers to
parenthood has been our prime focus since we started way back in 2009. There was a lack of an institutional setup in the fertility segment and I alongside Dr Durga G Rao, a globally renowned fertility specialist began this single speciality centre backed by technology and advanced research to offer all advanced fertility treatments under one roof to both men and women.
From just one centre in 2009, we have grown to 25 centres pan India today. We have been able to offer higher success rates due to our holistic approach, high-end technology, expert fertility specialists, and the finest embryologists. Ethics and transparency are the core principles that drive Oasis. Being the trusted experts in fertility, we aspire to spread our wings far and wide.”
Being a single-speciality clinic, Oasis Fertility has created a niche for itself. Oasis has a laser focus on offering a convenient and highly satisfying treatment experience to couples. Every step of treatment is explained in detail which enables the couple to make informed decisions. State-of-the-art technology, competent specialists, and robust patient engagement channels enable Oasis Fertility to provide services on par with international standards.
Data analytics and research team help in interpreting huge volumes of patient data enabling predictive analysis and personalised treatment options. “Male infertility is rising steadily but men either deny or ignore it due to the social taboo around it. To give a hassle-free treatment experience to male patients, we have an exclusive male fertility clinic AndroLife catering to male fertility issues. We respect the sensibilities and apprehensions of males and hence with a team of highly specialised andrologists, and hi-tech equipment, we have been enabling men to achieve fatherhood. We help men even with very low sperm count achieve fatherhood through Micro-
TESE, a highly advanced sperm retrieval procedure that is being offered by very few centres in the country,” says
Dr Durga G Rao, Co-Founder & Medical Director, Oasis Fertility. Bmom Fertility and Research Center, Bangalore
Bmom (meaning Becoming a mom) Fertility and research Center was founded in the year of 2014, in
Sahakaranagar, Bengaluru. A group of five like-minded fertility specialists, radiologists and researchers got together with the idea of providing top-notch treatment possibilities for the patients that would be patient centric. The focus of the Bmom fertility and research centre is to provide transparent, effective and cost-effective solutions to all those who come seeking treatment.
The team integrated assisted reproductive technologies from both the clinical and lab side to provide the best possible patient care and experience. Bmom fine-tuned the unbiased, cumulative success rates over the period to approximately 50 per cent. In addition, we have also observed that success rates can be achieved significantly higher up to 80 per cent with the addition of options such as donor gametes and surrogacy from registered donor banks. Our core strength relies upon in-house QA/QC protocols, total embryo formation KPIs (OPU, Screening, sperm selection & ICSI), embryo selection strategies and effective embryo transfer methods (Differential embryo transfer technique). We are very particular in getting the maximum outcome from in-house protocols as well as understanding the deep causes of the failed cycles to enable patients to initiate their parenthood with the best possible way of preserving their genetic identity.
Innovations
The patient-centric approach makes Oasis bring out innovations in every sphere. Through IVF@Home, a firstof-
its-kind initiative in India, Oasis delivers IVF treatment to the couple’s doorstep. This is a unique concept that helped many patients undergo IVF via a contactless program during the pandemic.
“We intend to offer best-in-class services to couples through tech-powered treatments. EWS (Electronic Witnessing System) is our unique technology that ensures the prevention of manual errors and mismatch of samples in an IVF process thereby enabling couples to embrace their biological child. Through this, each step in IVF is verified, recorded, and monitored using RFID,” says Dr Durga G Rao.
OSHERM
As Oasis firmly believes in research and technology, it has an exclusive Research and Academic wing OSHERM (Oasis School for Human Embryology & Reproductive Medicine) which is committed to equipping medical/
science graduates with the latest advancements in the fertility industry through long and short-term courses.
From simulation labs to hands-on experience, OSHERM helps aspirants to acquire academic excellence through
cutting-edge technologies. Gadela added, “We have been empowering couples through our outreach programmes, online campaigns, and various fertility consultation camps in tier-II and tier-III regions all over India and trying to create awareness about the tremendous treatment options that are available to infertile couples.
Our commitment and evidence-based approach helped us to gift the joy of parenthood to over 60000+ couples. Improved patient outcomes have become possible due to technologies like ERA, PGT, etc. The fertility industry is set to grow at a faster rate in the coming years. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are set to change the landscape of IVF in future.”
Bavishi Fertility Institute, Ahmedabad
Founded and led by the well-known experts in IVF Dr Himanshu Bavishi and Dr Falguni Bavishi, BFI clinics offer meticulous attention of the highest order in a pleasant environment to patients. Working in the field of women’s health since 1986, Bavishi implemented newer technology in sonography, endoscopy, infertility etc. Cutting-edge technology and continuous upgrades help BFI provide the best of the technology in the world. Be it IVF lab, Sonography, Endoscopy operations equipment, to patient safety monitors, the clinic uses the latest
technology available. Their patient data management, record-keeping, double witnessing etc., meet international
benchmarks.
Chennai Fertility Centre
Chennai Fertility Center was founded in the year 2010 by Dr VM one of the forerunners who brought in fertility
treatments. He brought in the most high-end and cutting-edge fertility treatments within a highly appealing
hospital atmosphere. Chennai Fertility Center has made the best progress over the years with the number of patients flowing in and getting the kind of care and treatment they deserve. Chennai Fertility Center over the years has achieved unshakable trust with state-of- the-art infrastructure and excellent capabilities of the team at Chennai Fertility Center.
There are several high-end and rare treatments at Chennai Fertility Center that are performed with accuracy and
utmost care to achieve success for the patients. The best part about Chennai Fertility Center is that all facilities are under one roof.
Centre for research in assisted reproduction and fetal therapy (CRAFT), Kochi CRAFT specialises in fertility research and treatment with a team of experts and specialists who are dedicated to helping couples to combat and overcome infertility issues. With a fullyfledged, state-of-the-art department of gynaecology and obstetrics, infertility, embryology, medical genetics and PGD, paediatrics, foetal medicine, laparoscopic surgery and neonatology (level 4), urology, paediatric surgery, and diagnostic imaging. CRAFT is well equipped and loaded with a wide range of the latest diagnostic and therapeutic equipment.
CRAFT has a medical team consisting of 12 senior consultants, eight registrars and nine embryologists. This team of expert specialists is indeed the crux and backbone of CRAFT. Sabine Hospital & Research Centre, Kochi
Sabine Hospital and Research Centre is a progressive, hi-tech hospital offering successful programmes in infertility, assisted reproductive technology, obstetrics, gynaecology, neonatology, paediatrics, general surgery and genetics. The hospital was founded in 2010 by Dr Sabine Sivadasan.
“Our success is based on its excellence and commitment to the speciality. To grow, prosper and remain sustainable we embrace technology and transformation. Teamwork, speed and quality are the cornerstones of Sabine Hospital. These qualities permeate the hospital’s entire organisational culture. Shared commitment, clear intent and a solid plan of action ensure we remain the best in the field of infertility treatment,” Dr Sivadasan.
Indira IVF, Udaipur
Indira IVF was founded in 2014 by Dr Ajay Murdia, Dr Kshitiz Murdia, Nitiz Murdia, Ashish Lodha and Manish Khatri. It offers infertility treatments at 59 centres across 16 states in India. Indira IVF is a technology-first company and is constantly looking to add new cutting-edge technologies to make IVF treatments cost-effective and at the same time safe.
Dr Kshitiz Murdia, Co founder and CEO, Indira IVF says, “Assisted reproductive technologies have grown leaps and bounds in the last four decades, and it is primarily credited to advanced technology. We have invested in the
latest equipment including electronic witnessing systems, closed working chambers, microfluidics, as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning. All these technologies are mainstreamed with our strict SOPs. Our trained embryologists across all our centres in the country and an entirely scalable model make Indira IVF stand
apart and have helped us notch a success rate of ~74 per cent.”
Indira IVF is also trying to stay ahead of the curve by deploying artificial intelligence (AI). NU Fertility, Bengaluru
NU Fertility Bangalore started a journey in the year 2015. The centre is equipped with comprehensive assessments for both male and female infertility-related problems. The embryology laboratory is built according to the ESHRE guidelines and the quality is constantly monitored, ensuring the appropriate culture and conditions are maintained. Some of the advanced techniques used at the centre are the endometrial receptivity array, an advanced test to find out the personalised window of implantation in cases of patients with repeatedimplantation failure.
Dr Prasanna Venkatesh, MD – NU Hospitals says, “NU Fertility @ NU Hospitals apart from offering the above,
specialises in the treatment of male factor fertility as we are aware that 60 per cent of infertility is caused by male factor issues. Dept of Andrology and men’s sexual health at NU Hospitals offers the entire gamete of evaluation and treatment for these complex conditions.”
