HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY LOUISE BROWN!

I have no clue how it feels to grow up knowing you are a pioneer scientific wonder but that is what Louise Brown’s life has been. Last week, she turned 40 amid massive public attention. She was interviewed by the media houses across the world as a major milestone in the world of science.

Louise, being the first successfully conceived and delivered in-vitro fertilization (IVF) baby, will forever be a beacon of hope for childless couples across the world. Her conception and delivery will never be forgotten despite the fact that she is joined by close to eight million other IVF babies across the globe.

These babies have been popularly called “test tube babies” by the media since the birth of Louise yet they spend only about five days on the special culture dishes in the incubator before being implanted in the mother’s womb.

Closer home, our first miracle was brought about by the efforts of one Dr. Joshua Noreh, a specialist gynaecologist and sub-specialist embryologist in May 2006 when he delivered two mothers via caesarian section, of the first IVF babies in Kenya. Both were bouncing baby girls who brought gallons of tears of happiness to their parents.

It must have taken a lot of guts for this pioneer specialist to attempt the procedure at home. IVF has long been viewed as a medical service that is the preserve of the rich. The childless rich flew out of the country to seek IVF services at a price too high for the poor to fathom. Even in countries where the service was available such as the USA, it was still out of reach for majority of the local Americans.

To attempt to domicile this at home, convince pharmaceutical companies to bring in the expensive drugs used for the procedure, convince patients to have faith in him to attempt this procedure, must have taken great faith. The bigger picture here is that he put Kenya only 28 years behind the United Kingdom miracle. The man can confidently say he has made his mark in the world.

In the world of obstetrician/gynaecologists in Kenya, Dr. Noreh will forever command special respect. He opened doors for others to follow a path that were not easy. IVF has now become commonplace in Kenya and we can proudly say that the country provides the service even to our neighbouring countries.

With such a lofty achievement as a country, where are we in the realm of stigma management? IVF will always come linked to a diagnosis of infertility or sub-fertility. Mothers are not ready to come out and admit to conceiving through IVF because of fear of the stigma attached to fertility issues.

It is important that parents protect their little ones from the publicity that such a miracle may attract. However, it is also important that they do not have to live with an underlying feeling of uneasiness on what the public, family and friends, will think of them in the event that they found out.

Stella* is a 43 year old mom to a set of twin boys and a daughter. After years of trying to conceive after marriage, she sought the help of a gynaecologist. Several exhausting tests later, the couple were told that their best chance at conception was via IVF. It took her two years to accept the situation. In that period, her husband got a lucrative job offer that deployed them to Europe.

Living away from home made her yearning for children hit a new high. They were able to finance the procedure and she conceived her twin boys. The birth of the boys made her feel complete.  She shared her joy with her family. When they visited Kenya during the summer, she could not wait to introduce her sons to their paternal grandmother as she was the only living grandparent they had.

The encounter scarred her for life. Her grandmother’s comments tore into her heart. She was belittled and made to feel like she was an incomplete woman who had to be assisted to “cook” her babies. What she hoped would be a joyful moment turned out to be a bitter experience. Years later, with three babies in tow, she did make up with her mother-in-law but it was not enough to erase the memory. Her children never got to bond with a grandparent.

This kind of stigma is getting in the way of optimizing access to these crucial services. Many couples will take too long to take the decision to go for IVF, even when financial constraint is not an issue. The downside to this is that with every successive year the couple waits, the lower the success rate of the procedure. The female body is on a forward march to aging in matters of reproduction.

Our Kenyan 12 year old pioneer girls are now joined by many other IVF babies in the country. They have brought immense joy to their families. They will grow up to be productive people in society and contribute positively to this country. They will have children and ensure continuity of their family lines without bias.

They are a part of us, the essence of who we are as Kenyans. They rely on us to break the stigma and allow the happiness they represent, to shine through!