public about IVF and ART. So regardless of the station you tune into, chances are you’ve come across a programme discussing IVF and fertility. It’s become widespread and well accepted. Q How does Ghana compare to other African countries in IVF? So first, let me speak about the African continent. IVF started in Europe — specifically in the UK. It then spread to America, Australia, Asia, and eventually to Africa. Worldwide, IVF is now accessible to everyone. And if you look at the number of cross-border patients coming into this country for fertility treatment, it’s clear that the success rates here sometimes even surpass those in more well-known countries. In terms of quality, we follow the same protocols and use the same equipment as clinics abroad. Our training and lab practices meet international standards, so the outcomes are comparable. I was personally trained inGermany; others were trained in Europe or India. There are established protocols and benchmarks — and once you follow them, the quality is exactly the same. The only difference, I would say, might be the facility or the environment where patients are seen. But in terms of quality — the ultrasound scanning, medications, retrieval equipment, lab equipment, incubators — everything is procured from outside. So again, the quality is the same. And as I’ve said before, what matters is the outcome. When you input the right things, the outcomes here are really great. Even though we do not yet have an official fertility authority that regulates the field — meaning there’s no national data showing our overall pregnancy or live birth rates — I do communicate with a lot of colleagues and clinics. I’m also a board member of the Fertility Society of Ghana. A lot of information is available to us, and we know Ghana ranks very high in IVF success rates across Africa. Q Have you tracked your personal success rate? Oh yes. Q In terms of how many clients you’ve seen and how successful you’ve been? Well, apart from the first five years, we’ve been doing about 80 cycles a year. Back then, the pregnancy rate was about 30%. Later, I worked at Barts NHS Hospital in London from 2000 to 2009, where we were doing about 1,600 cycles a year — although that was across a team of embryologists. Personally, I’ve handled an average of 30 to 50 pregnancies each year. Over the years, I’ve never taken a real break, though in the last four to five years, I’ve been more involved in leadership and management rather than direct lab work. Still, I can confidently say I’ve been involved in over 1,000 pregnancies. But this is teamwork — IVF isn’t a one-person job. From the embryo transfers I’ve personally handled, yes, I’ve crossed a thousand. Q Where do you see the future of IVF in Ghana? I think the soil is fertile — meaning there’s a lot of potential. New clinics are opening, but they’re heavily concentrated in Accra, Tema, Kumasi, and recently Takoradi. We need to expand regionally — into the Northern, Bono Ahafo, and other regions — so services are closer to everyone. Given our population and infertility rates, the number of clinics is still too low. Currently, all clinics in Ghana combined are doing about 5,000 to 6,000 cycles per year, which is far below what’s expected for our population size. Q Talking about regional access — what role has the government played so far in IVF development? 58 The Birthday Journal C O U R AG E O U S
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