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News
Offering hope to infertile families
Thursday, 07 September 2006
By CANDICE REED
• Howick and Pakuranga Times
ANNE Ingham and her husband Wes Jones are one of the lucky couples.
Anne Ingham with her children Griffin, nearly two years old, and Sophie, 4. Times photo Wayne Martin.
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) helped deliver them two healthy children, Sophie and Griffin Jones.
Not every couple in New Zealand are as lucky. One in six couples are infertile, one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage and one in five first-time mums experience serious pregnancy complaints.
In an attempt to improve fertility treatments and fund new research, a group of leading doctors, researchers and supporters have launched the Nurture Foundation.
Operating under the University of Auckland, the foundation will raise funds through corporate sponsorship, public fundraisers and a ‘friends of the foundation’ group.
Spokesperson and obstetrics and gynaecology professor Cindy Farquhar says the foundation will research not only fertility treatments, but also female health and pregnancy issues.
“The private nature of these problems means they’re easily over looked when it comes to public funding allocations,” says Prof Farquhar.
“This is evidenced by the fact that of the 13 population health objectives outlined in New Zealand’s health strategy none specifically relates to reproductive health.
“The only way we will boost research monies available for reproductive research is to take ownership of the problem ourselves.”
Former Howick resident Ms Ingham knows she was fortunate to be able to overcome both her and her husband’s fertility problems. Doctors identified cystic ovarian syndrome in Ms Ingham in 2000 and some time into her treatment her husband was also identified with an infertility problem.
The couple would never have been able to have children without ART.
“I was in shock [when told she was infertile],” says Ms Ingham. “Then within a five minute talk with the doctor, we went from one level of infertility to the other end. It was like ‘oh my god’, but also a sort of a relief, because it gets taken over by other people. You just do what you’re told and finally there’s a reason why you’re not falling pregnant.”
The couple went on one cycle of government-funded IVF and ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection, a male fertility treatment) and fell pregnant with Sophie. Originally she was a twin, but the other embryo died in the womb at eight weeks. Sophie was born in April 2002.
“My husband felt it was relatively easy, so we went for another cycle after Sophie was born,” says Ms Ingham.
As the couple had used their quota of government-funded ART the following two cycles were paid for privately, costing $20,000.
The second cycle failed, but the third resulted in another twin conception. The twins, Thomas and Griffin, were born two months premature in October 2004. Sadly, Thomas died shortly after birth. He was diagnosed with Edwards Syndrome (also called Trisomy 18, a chromosomal condition causing mental retardation, heart defects and organ abnormalities).
“We decided not to have anymore after that. I’m 40 next year and getting too old now,” Ms Ingham says.
Although the financial and emotional costs were high, Ms Ingham says it was worth it.
“It’s very easy for me to say you need to put a final figure on how much you’re willing to spend and how many cycles you’re willing to do because we got the child,” she says. “If you don’t get pregnant then I think you would possible keep finding ways to find the money.
“Now that we have children it’s fantastic, they’re pretty cool, even when they’re fighting.”
Ms Ingham encourages people to support the Nurture Foundation and donations can be made via website
www.nurture.org.nz
.
