ABU DHABI // When Nour needed fertility treatment after failing to conceive, she opted to go abroad. Her decision was partly based on a belief that the level of service for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) available in the emirates was not comparable to that offered elsewhere. It was a view shared by many women she had met, she said.
Nour, who married at the age of 22, felt no need to rush to start a family and continued in her career as a corporate co-ordinator in Abu Dhabi before trying to conceive a year later. It soon became apparent that she was among the hundreds of women every year who needed to rely on medical intervention to help them to achieve the dream of motherhood. "I was hoping to get pregnant because all my friends, who were married after me, had babies. It was very sad for me and my husband," she said.
Like many expatriates, she returned to Jordan, her home country, to undergo IVF treatment. "I went because I am Jordanian. They have a lot of experience and good doctors. "People want to go to Germany, [the] US or the UK - many places because they don't believe in getting treatment here. They think people with experience would not come here. "The UAE fertility centres don't have a good reputation."
The treatment at home, however, was unsuccessful. "The one in Jordan failed, but it was a very well-known hospital." So Nour turned to the Tawam Hospital in Al Ain, a government centre with a well-established IVF clinic. She was able to stay with her mother, who lives in the city, while undergoing treatment this summer. She and her husband were delighted with the treatment and care they received. "They treated me like a family member. They were very kind and they always gave me hope."
Many couples require several rounds of IVF therapy before they have a viable pregnancy. Nour said she felt sad for couples who could not afford the treatment or who had to travel long distances without the comfort of their families to provide support. "We are lucky because our financial situation is very good. "I would have felt very helpless." Nour sympathises with women trying to conceive. She also understands their fears, and their optimism.
Her treatment at Tawam Hospital was a success and she is now awaiting the birth of twins. amcmeans@thenational.ae