COVID-19 affliction is shown to lower men's fertility rate but this will get better a little while after their recovery, this was revealed by several studies cited by Dr. Irene Lubaton-Uy, infertility specialist/corporate secretary of IVF Davao, in a recent press conference in time for in-vitro fertilization's (IVF's) first facility in Mindanao's seventh year on October 23 in cooperation with Merck.
"For women, Covid-19 is not directly linked to causing infertility, however, for the males, there are already several studies that males who got infected with Covid, their semen parameters usually go down or their count usually goes down, but there's improvement after three to six months after their recovery," Lubaton-Uy said.
Infertility affects about 10 percent of Filipino couples, based on the 2011 study by market research firm Synovate. The research also stated that this is higher compared to about 8 percent infertility rate in the Philippines reported in 2004 by the United Nations Development Program.
The World Health Organization defines infertility as “failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.”
Medical experts cite several factors leading to infertility, including heredity, lifestyle, age, and the overall health of a couple.
IVF is a medical procedure wherein an egg cell and a sperm cell, extracted from a couple, are combined for fertilization within a laboratory facility. The fertilized egg or embryo is then injected into the woman’s uterus after about two weeks, inducing pregnancy.
IVF Davao, located on the Ground Floor of Brokenshire Women’s Center Building, Brokenshire Hospital in Madapo Hills, Davao City, is the first IVF center in the entire island region of Mindanao. Prior to its opening in 2015, most IVF facilities in the country were in Metro Manila and Cebu.
IVF Davao has been providing fertility, IVF, and other assisted reproductive technology services not just for couples within Davao and Mindanao but also to aspiring parents from as far as the Sulawesi region in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Lubaton-Uy said the success rate of IVF among couples also heavily rely on the age of a woman; a couple whose woman-partner is under the age of 35 years have a higher success rate compared to couples whose women-partner is older.
The activity was led by Dr. Maria Lourdes Cabling, Medical Director, IVF Davao, Dr. Jeanmarie Cabrera-Salvador, President, IVF Davao, Dr. Lubaton-Uy, Dr. Marie Janice Alcantara-Boquiren, Infertility Specialist, IVF Davao, Henry Wilson, Managing Director Merck, Inc & Healthcare General Manager, and Pixie Yee, Fertility, Regional Franchise Lead, Merck.
The seventh-anniversary celebration of the first IVF facility in Mindanao was in partnership with Merck Inc., the country's affiliate of the global pharmaceutical firm Merck KGaA, a global market leader in fertility treatments. CEA with PR