Bulawayo's first test tube baby is born

THE Bulawayo Assisted Reproductive Technology (BART) centre delivered its first baby last week after introducing the In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) programme in December last year.

The IVF clinic is the second such health facility in the country to offer services to couples faced  with infertility to deliver what are termed test tube babies.

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is the most common and most effective type of assisted reproductive technology (ART) to help women become pregnant. The IVF procedure involves fertilising an egg outside the body, in a laboratory dish, and then implanting it in a woman's uterus.

The gynaecologist in charge of the centre, Dr Jephat Moyo, confirmed that baby Mia was born last Wednesday at the clinic.

"We're excited to announce that we've successfully delivered our first baby. Although she came two weeks earlier, everything went according to plan, both mother and baby are healthy and we're happy.

"Mia's mother, Gail Oxden, was one of our first clients and I'm excited that we have more babies coming from other clients we have been attending to.

We're using modern technology that is at par with other clinics that render the same services internationally," said Dr Moyo.

He said he was happy with the response received and success recorded by the facility since its inception in December last year.

Dr Moyo urged people in Matabeleland region to take advantage of the BART centre.

"We're sitting at between 30 and 50 percent success rate at this clinic and we're happy with the progress so far.

"We established this unit to address the challenge of infertility which affects 20 percent of couples worldwide. I therefore encourage couples struggling to conceive to take advantage of this centre," said Dr Moyo.

He said the centre's charges were the same as those charged by fertility centres in South Africa and other countries.

It's therefore an advantage for local people because there are no travel and accommodation costs involved," said Dr Moyo.

Ms Gail Oxden (40) from Fortunes Gate in Bulawayo said she was overwhelmed by the arrival of her new born baby girl.

"My husband and I had been trying to have a baby for some time. We're so excited about Mia and we're grateful to Dr Moyo for taking us through this amazing process. I had three children before Mia and my husband had never had children. I had cervical issues and I was told by doctors that it was impossible for me to have children again.

"My husband and I had gone for a long time trying to have a child. I got to know about BART clinic and I decided to inquire and get better understanding. When I got there I asked Dr Moyo several questions. After some serious considerations I asked Dr Moyo if they could take me on," said Ms Oxden.

She commended Dr Moyo for establishing the fertility clinic and urged couples struggling to have children to consider the clinic for assistance.

"Dr Moyo has been amazing and supportive since the day we decided to go through IVF. He is compassionate about his work and is determined to help couples conceive. We were among the first group of couples that he attended to.

"I would like to urge women who are struggling to have children to seek Dr Moyo's services He has options for women and gives hope to families," said Ms Oxden.

Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa visited the BART centre early this year and commended Dr Moyo for establishing the clinic, saying the institution was long overdue.

He said it was a good development for the region considering that there was only one such other facility in the country, which is in Harare.

Dr Parirenyatwa was impressed with the modern equipment that was installed at the clinic.

The first baby in the world to be conceived through in vitro fertilisation, Louise Brown, was born in 1978 in Manchester in the United Kingdom.

As a world first, there was a lot of publicity around the birth. The second successful test tube baby birth occurred 67 days later in India.