GPHC helps couple conceive in historic artificial insemination procedure

After 16 years of trying to conceive but to no avail, a couple was able to do so and welcomed a bouncing baby girl to the world on Thursday with the help of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The birth is a historic achievement for the hospital as the newborn is the first to be conceived through artificial insemination procedures at the institution.

During a press conference at the hospital on Friday, the mother of the newborn, 39-year-old Bibi Hidar expressed joy and spoke of how happy she and her family is.

Hidar said she sought care at many different places with hopes of being able to conceive but was never successful, however, that all changed when she was introduced to Dr. Rafi Rozan, consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist at GPHC.

Bibi and her husband, Zaheer Hidar were able to conceive after three sessions of intrauterine insemination (IUI), which is fertility treatment that is type of artificial insemination.

This fertility treatment involves directly inserting sperm into a woman’s womb, administered by Dr. Rozan.

During the press briefing, Dr. Rozan explained that the procedure was not without its challenges as Bibi Hidar has a medical history of type two diabetes mellitus and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) while a male component infertility issue was also addressed.

He noted that during pregnancy, his team managed Bibi at their high-risk clinic since patients who undergo artificial insemination have an increased risk of congenital malformations, or birth defects and the patient also developed gestational hypertension.

However, Dr. Rozan noted that due to a team of skilled experts, the pregnancy was taken to term, and a healthy baby weighing 2,650 grams (about six pounds) was delivered on Thursday.

The procedure is not readily available at the hospital as it requires specialised instruments, personnel and facilities, however, there is the intention of establishing a unit so that persons may be able to access the service at the institution.

The Hidars expressed heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Rozan for helping them to conceive after 16 years and assisting them along the way of the pregnancy, especially after consulting with many other medical practitioners.