I take this opportunity to express my highest regard and gratitude towards the Malpani clan. A few days back, we got the news that our baby is doing well and everything is progressing as per plan. Thanks to Drs.Malpani.
Our tryst with Dr.Malpani started in October, 2004. I communicated with him via email as we are in USA and he, in Mumbai. In October last, the local US doctors finally determined after investigating for over a year that we had to either go in for Egg donor or Embryo adoption program. This was really hard for us to take as comparatively my wife had not reached the stage where one could expect that she would run out of her own eggs. We were weighing options of what exactly to do as finding an Indian donor or Indian Embryos in USA is next to impossible. And the fact that we were trying for the second child (we already have a daughter) also was making us think whether we should really go in for this process or not.
During this time of thought process, I started looking out for Infertility clinics in India. And the first one which I thoroughly researched was Dr.Malpani’s. I did not communicate with him first as the site is so exhaustive that it took me quite a while to go through all the articles and testimonials. Finally, I wrote to him in detail about our case. And I was amazed at the lightening speed response. I mean – it is almost proverbial. Dr.Malpani must be just awarded for this fact that he goes that extra mile – just to respond to you overnight or the very same day. I have never seen any person doing such a marvelous job. Equipped with this trait, you just feel so assured and reassured that you know that you have your doctor almost available to you 24 hrs a day, which is very rare especially in a place like USA.
Once we started the communication and we got the 2nd opinion from Dr.Malpani that we did not have a choice but to undertake Egg donation/Embryo adoption process, we had to decide our next steps. After a long discussions between me and my wife, we decided that we will try for Egg donor program in USA. To say the least, apart from being a failure, the whole experience left us in a bad shape both mentally and financially. Not only we were grieving of not being successful, but we felt that we were totally ripped. The whole process here in USA is so expensive that at the end of the day, if things do not work out you will have no finances to do anything else.
After this, we started exploring the possibility to get the Egg donor program in India – in the process started communicating with Dr.Malpani again. Finally, it was in May, 2005 we were able to get the vacation and we travelled to India. We finally were looking forward to meet Dr.Malpani in person and for the treatment.
In early June, finally we met Dr.Malpani. We were quite impressed by the clinic itself. The place is quite marvellous – highly professional staff and there is this special personal touch. We had to stay overnight at that place – the first day – and it was unplanned so we did not book a hotel room. But Dr.Malpani offered us for stay at his clinic – which by the way has AC rooms, computer with Internet connectivity in each room and an attached bath. Can you beat that !!! That night, no nurse was scheduled to stay overnight at the clinic – but because of our unplanned stay – one of the nurses voluntarily offered to stay — which is unheard of in USA.
Well, after this first day we were on our way for the program. We visited overall 3 times to the clinic. The last visit, we had the embryo transfer – which was done so simply and without any big show, as compared to our experience in USA. In USA, the doctor had used ultrasound to guide the embryo transfer, wife had to drink a lot of water before the transfer and post transfer there was this big show to check the catheter to see if the embryos were actually transferred. Well, all this was missing at Mumbai. It was simple, straight forward, quick and matter of fact.
After a month, it was confirmed that my wife was pregnant and our joy knew no bounds.
Why do we recommend Dr.Malpani’s clinic ?
1. The place is professionally managed. You will never feel that you are being ignored. The whole staff is friendly and courteous and you feel at home.
2. Of course, Dr.Aniruddha and Dr.Anjali – they are the pivotal factors for all this. Dr.Aniruddha, a tall, lanky, focused and friendly person who would endear you immediately at the moment you have your first interaction with him. He is highly professional at the same time being very considerate and he would go to any extent to help you out in any situation. You can hardly find a doctor who is so hard working and who enjoys his job. You can just notice from the website, the amount of information it has and the frequency at which new articles are published almost every other day. So the energy Dr.Aniruddha Malpani carries, just shows everywhere.
3.Last but a very important factor is the location – the clinic is located in Mumbai which is very well connected from all the places – both international and domestic. So it becomes very easy to travel to Mumbai if you are not from that place.
So all the couples who are seeking help in treating themselves for infertility, make the Malpani Clinic as your destination and you would pat yourselves that you made the right choice and decision.
I had a vasectomy in 1981, thinking that I would not have any more children, as my marriage was fine, and we had 3 children, all girls, but 3 was enough. Unfortunately, after 18 years the marriage failed, and some years later, I left the UK and settled in Africa, where I met and married a girl some years younger than I was. Obviously, she wanted children, and as things had been going very well with us for some time, I decided to see what could be done to achieve this.
As we were living in Africa, we started looking there, and found that a clinic in Dakar, Senegal had recently started doing IVF. I was going for IVF and ICSI as opposed to a reversal, as the time lapsed from the vasectomy was now some 30 years, and highly likely to be unsuccessful.
We made contact with the clinic, (Cinique du Cap) who started us on a programme. After a number of tests were carried out at the clinic, and much travelling, I had an operation to remove sperm for freezing until the ICSI was done. The professor, who was supposed to carry out the operation, having done all the consulting and scanning on me, was late, and as we had some distance to travel, another man carried out the operation, but I believe his speciality was the female side, not the male, but he was good. I chose to have a local anaesthetic, but as he was not so sure about what was what, they gave me a general at their expense, putting me to sleep! The removal was done by inserting a needle down the short vas deferens towards the epidydimis, and extracting sperm from it. It obviously worked, as they got what they needed.
Then my wife was set for the operation, and given many drugs and tests to prepare her for producing as many eggs as possible, ready for the ICSI, then transfer.
Unfortunately, the medication, of which I have a record, was excessive, and she was not so well during this time. They would not tell her, or me anything about what was going on, how many eggs recovered or how many eggs fertilised etc. Even the medical staff there, were afraid to ask anything, and got the medication wrong once as a result! I sent an email asking what had been done and shortly after, got a phone call from my wife, saying that she had been told of because I was bothering the doctor! We still were not told what was done. A few days after the embryo transfer, and we were actually told it was 2, the receptionist told my wife that she could go home, some 300 miles away, so she went. She was not feeling well at this point, but followed the instruction.
Two days later, she was bloating, short of breath and in pain. I went on the web to see if I could find out anything that could help, and found out about the dreaded OHSS ( ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome) , which can KILL!
We phoned the clinic, and were told to get back there as soon as possible, which we did, but were still not able to see the doctor until the next day. When he was my wife, he took her in first, ahead of the others waiting, and took her to the operation theatre, where they drained about 4 litres of fluid from her abdomen. The next day they drained another 3 litres.
It turned out that she had moderate OHSS, and was in a bad way as a result. Then the doctor asked us why she went home, so my wife told him. He was angry that she had done what his secretary had told her to do, and said that he had not said she could go, so she should have stayed!
Anyway, we went back for the Beta test to see how it was going, and it was positive, but low on the first test.
Then, a week or so later, my wife woke up in pain, and shortly after, started a light period that lasted the usual 4 days. We told the clinic and he was not concerned at all! The next test still showed positive, but still low. The week after that it was only 2, but they way he explained it, my wife thought there was 2 embryos, which caused some upset when she understood what he was really telling us. He then recommended that if we wanted to try again, we should go to Spain! We were both sure that the transfer was not done right, and that the injections of HCG she was having every other day were giving the positive readings.
We STILL had no idea about what had been done, and the numbers anywhere, no report, nothing. Worse was the fact that were NOT told about the possibility of OHSS, which can be fatal!
We left things for a couple of months so that my wife could settle down and recover from what was a bad time for her, and not so good for me, with the effect it had on her, and the disappointment of what was done, and lost!
I then started to look around on the net, and found a couple of clinics in Barcelona that seemed to be OK, and made contact with them. One of my customers just happens to be a Spanish medical professor so I asked her if she could find out anything about them as I was not going to go through all that hassle again. After a while, she got back to me, saying that they were more interested in the money than the results, which were overstated anyway. So that route stopped. I looked all over, including Europe, and the UK, but they were not really interested, and the costs were very high. Also, the time the patients have to spend on site was far too long, and expensive.
I was told by a couple of clinics that we had to have a report prepared by the last clinic, as a reference and guide as to anything they should be aware of, so I emailed the clinic in Dakar, asking for a report, IN ENGLISH, and got one, in FRENCH!
THEN I found the MALPANI clinic in Bombay, India, and they seemed to know what they were doing, and seemed very professional. I emailed them, adding a copy of the report I had from Dakar, asking if it was possible to get someone to translate it for me, as I had not been able to as it was too technical.
The very next morning (there is a 5 hours time difference between our two countries) I got a reply, AND the translation of the report! I was amazed at this, and told the doctor later, and he told me that he had cheated and got it translated using GOOGLE. But the fact remains that he DID it, for which I was grateful, but horrified at the content!
The report stated that there had been 30 eggs removed, 11 fertilised and 2 transferred. We were not told about any of this, as I have said, and HAD we been, we would have asked for the 9 remaining to be frozen for another attempt, thereby saving the risk of OHSS again. They would not tell us what happened to the 9 embryos, or anything else, so what DID happen to them? I know that there is a demand for donor embryos, and the cost to the recipient is high, so is that where they went?
Anyway, we spent a while emailing Dr Malpani, getting our doubts clarified . He really could not be more helpful, and where he gets the time for it all I don?€?t know, as there are many more patients doing exactly the same!
We were so happy with everything that was discussed that we decided to go to India for the second attempt, and found that the cost of the operation and medication was far lower than anywhere we had contacted so far, but it did not seem that it was so cheap that it was not professional, everything was so reassuring.
We got to Bombay, and saw Dr Malpani, who was an absolute gent, very polite, helpful and interested in everything that had happened and was going to happen. Then he explained what was to happen, which we had experience of already, but this time it was so different.
He did a scan on my wife, and found that she had POCD, or ovarian cysts, which probably rendered her infertile anyway, but was CERTAIN to cause OHSS!
We started the course of treatment, which was assisted by the most helpful staff I have known. The whole setup was fabulous from the word go, how different from our last experience! We were kept informed at every stage with regular checks to see that all was well, especially my wife. She started the treatment and had regular scans to keep an eye on the cysts and egg development, and the dosages were monitored and adjusted as required. As for the dreaded OHSS, she did have some discomfort, but no bloating or anything like she suffered before. Wonderful.
Then came the big day, I had a testicular biopsy done, to get what they needed, and then they removed 34 eggs from my wife. Then they fertilised the eggs and started them growing, all within a few hours, so that everything was fresh. The remaining embryos were frozen. We were told about everything as it was happening.
The medication then stopped, which was nice, and after 3 days, we went back to have the eggs transferred. 3 were transferred after consultation with the doctor about the risks of having too many. When we went for the transfer, we were asked if we would like to SEE the embryos that were going to be transferred, and of course we said yes, and got a full explanation of what we were looking at.
My wife then rested for a few days before we returned to Africa, and were already very confident of a positive result, which we were told also helps.
We were given a folder with full details of what had been done, and the numbers involved, and what to do next and when. We even got a photo of the embryos that we had seen under the microscope! Even now, we would like to thank the doctors and the nursing staff there who were so good. Dr Malpani?€?s wife is also working in the clinic, and is also extremely helpful and professional. She looks after the scanning side and many other things with her husband, a perfect team.
While we were there in the waiting room, we made contact with a number of other patients, some of whom had travelled many thousands of miles for the treatment, which in every case that we spoke to, had been successful. One in particular had come from Sri Lanka, and they told me that they had been trying for over 10 years, travelling to many countries, including Europe. The wife was 3 months pregnant at the time, and were back to thank the doctors for helping them.
In our case, we were told that we should have a scan carried out after 4 weeks, to see how many embryos had stayed. We found that one had stayed, which was what we wanted, as we did not want to have to reduce the number in the future. We were also told that the embryo was 6 weeks, which was a bit confusing. We were working on the actual date of conception, as we knew it, but the rule of thumb seems to be worked out from the first day of the last period, making it 6, so we changed our calculations, bearing in mind that we did know the actual date.
As time was going by, my wife was in a bit of pain, so we asked Dr Malpani about it, and he explained exactly what was happening, and how long it should last for, which was correct.
Some weeks later, we had another scan carried out by an outside specialist who we were put in contact with by the friendly professor who advised us about Spain. The scan showed the baby moving around with all it bits, and we were so pleased.
We are now on week 19, all is still well and we are still in regular contact with Dr Malpani, who is keeping an eye on developments.
Week 24 and we had a high quality scan done. We now know that the baby is a girl, but also that there is a “mild increase?€? in the amniotic fluid. Need to watch that. We then got to week 31 and the fluid was far too high now, creating fears of the baby being premature, so our Cuban specialist here prescribed a course of Betamethasone, a steroid that makes the baby?€?s lungs develop quicker. After checking on the net, and getting the OK from Dr Malpani, my wife had the course, which was no problem.
The fluid level stayed high, causing some discomfort, at times quite bad. At week 32, it was so bad that our specialist had to drain � a litre of fluid from my wife, and told us that this could also contribute to an early delivery. He was not happy about doing this, as it is quite a dodgy process, but didn?€?t have much choice. All was well then until week 34.
At exactly 34 weeks, my wife called me at work, saying that her waters had broken, but not forcibly, just a gentle flow, which gave us time to get to the hospital. Two hours later the labour started, and after another hour, the baby was born. It was all over before my wife had learnt what to do!
We now have a beautiful baby girl, who is perfect and at the time of completing this report, is two months old, and growing fast.
We can?€?t thank Dr Malpani enough, and are already looking forward to the next one !
Many thanks Aniruddha and staff. We hope to see you in about 18 months.
One year ago, my life changed forever, for the better. I am now the proud mother of the most amazing little person I have ever met, and I cannot believe I waited so long . . . but then if I had done it any differently, it wouldn’t be her . . . so after all . . . everything makes sense.
A few years ago, I asked my doctor how much longer I had left to still safely try to conceive. Single and childless, I had never attempted pregnancy even though I always knew I wanted to be someone’s mother. I had just turned 43 when I learned from the specialist my doctor referred me to that my follicle count was already too low and my FSH levels were too high. He advised me that I had perhaps a less than 3% chance of success if I used a sperm donor, and perhaps a 30% chance of success if I tried embryo adoption. But the first thing we needed to do was remove a 3 cm fibroid tumour growing inside my uterus – and make sure it was benign.
Like many people, I had never heard of “embryo adoption,” before. After a successful surgical hysteroscopy removing a benign but annoying fibroid – which thankfully did not involve cutting the wall of the uterus – and a couple of months’ recovery time – I was “ready” to try embryo adoption. After the requisite counselling session to determine whether I was emotionally and psychologically ready for such an undertaking, I was presented with detailed information packages and photos representing the three possible sets of donor parents.
I soon realized that while I was ready for the idea, I was not ready to know so much about the donor parents. It was especially disconcerting to see photographs of the donors as I was trying to think of the adopted embryos as potentially my own. In addition, while previously considering sperm donation, I had already selected an Indian donor and pictured my baby as Indian – yet none of the donor embryos available here were Indian. I decided to put my plan on hold.
A couple years later, nearly 45 and now even closer to menopause, I realized I was definitely ready, but I was not sure if it was still even possible, so I googled what I was looking for and found the Malpani website! I e-mailed the clinic describing my situation and medical details – and received a positive and non-judgmental response right away! Evidently, my impressively irregular cycle would not likely have a detrimental effect on achieving and maintaining pregnancy in this way. I had never travelled so far away, but I knew this was the answer. A few weeks later I was on my way around the world to meet my destiny.
It took me between 36 and 48 hours to arrive in Mumbai, and shortly after arriving I was in the Malpani Clinic for my first appointment. I was hot, exhausted, and overwhelmed from all the build-up and the travel, but I was very happy to meet Dr. Aniruddha Malpani in person after having been in touch with him, daily, through e-mail. Throughout the process, he was very good about staying in-touch, answering questions daily and providing all the necessary instructions to help me achieve success.
As I sat in his office for the first time, I looked down at my now enormous ankles for the first time since I had arrived earlier that day, and I was horrified. He put me right at ease, explaining that this sometimes happens on long flights and that the way to prevent it in the future would be to get up and walk around the plane periodically during the flight. He also said, with a smile, that it was a good sign of pregnancy to come. He reassured me that the swelling should go away soon, and it did. I appreciated his gentle sense of humour. It helped me to relax – which was essential to both establishing and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.
Aniruddha and Anjali, and all of their nursing and support staff helped me and all the other patients around me feel quite at home in their clinic. The warmth of the staff made an enormous difference to me. I was also lucky enough to stay with Aniruddha’s family, at his parents’ clinic and nursing home, and this made a big difference because I would have been alone on this adventure otherwise. It also gave me a chance to experience Mumbai from the perspective of a local. For the three weeks I spent there, I felt almost like a temporary member of the family.
I believe my success was greatly enhanced by the diet and care I received at Narayan’s nursing home, and meeting Aniruddha’s wonderful aunts and other extended family and friends. It also helped to make friends with some of the other clients at Aniruddha and Anjali’s clinic. One, in particular, who was on the same schedule as I, achieved an equally miraculous IVF pregnancy with her husband, and now has a beautiful baby girl the same age as my daughter. We have been in touch regularly, ever since, and I treasure our friendship.
I had, essentially, been waiting 30 years to have a baby. I knew when I was 15 that I wanted to have a baby, but I also believed I should wait until I got married. If I had met the right man by now, I would have done this with him, but I haven’t met him yet, and time has caught up with me. I knew that my destiny included children of my own, and it was time to do something about it. I also believed that if I tried this and it worked, then it was meant to be . . . and my instincts were good.
So I followed all the suggestions, treatment instructions, and precautions. I focused all my energy on “project baby.” I did not travel unnecessarily. I was very careful about what I ate and drank. I took all the medicine, vitamins, and injections. I rested a lot, and I made my baby, my priority.
The night of her introduction to me (called “embryo transfer” in the clinic), was the first day the monsoon decided to get serious. It had been raining most of the day, and picking up volume as the evening approached. I got to the clinic around 4PM, full of anticipation and belief that it was all going to work out. Four very strong-appearing embryos were transferred, and I was given photographs of them. The procedure went smoothly and easily. Given my family history, we knew I had a good chance of getting twins, so the thought that I might get triplets or quadruplets had me busy wondering what was in store . . . yet given the statistics with this procedure in this clinic, transferring four was my best chance for achieving success with at least one embryo. I rationalized that what was meant to be, would be, and everything would work out.
I actually hoped for twins since this would be a way for my children to share genes. As I rode back to the nursing home in a taxi later that evening, the monsoon water was rising and the rain continued in torrents. There were soaking lively people everywhere in the streets as the night lights bounced off the flood waters and my driver weaved through the chaos to get me safely home. As I made it up several flights to my destination (the elevator was temporarily out of order), I ran into Narayan and his staff who had been worried about me and were quite relieved to find that I was home and safe. Their concern made me feel truly cared for and safe – and it was another sign that everything would be fine.
When I returned home to my very small town, and made an appointment with a local obstetrician, I was happily surprised to discover when I met him that he was Indian! (His last name does not sound Indian – and although I should have recognized his first name as Indian – I somehow missed it until the day of my first appointment. Imagine how wonderful that was, for both him and for me, in a place with few Indians, to meet each other under these circumstances? He was excited for me too . . . and took great care of me throughout the pregnancy.
My HCG scores were very high, indicating a multiple pregnancy, and on the low-tech ultrasound apparatus we were able to see two sacs at around five weeks. However, I miscarried one baby between five and six weeks, while maintaining the pregnancy. We all determined that I had a “disappearing twin,” and that most likely, for some reason the sac was just empty and the baby had failed to develop. I was sad to have lost this baby, but I reasoned that the remaining baby would now have a better chance. I am glad that this happened very early in the pregnancy, but I still sometimes wonder about the little person who did not come.
I was lucky throughout my pregnancy. I only gained 30 pounds. When I had somewhat borderline blood sugar in the last trimester, I modified my diet and took more walks to manage it. It was not serious and did not require insulin. I carried past term, and was scheduled for induction at 40 weeks and 4 days. The labour was intense, but only lasted 13 hours, with most of the progress happening very quickly in the final 30 minutes. I did not need a caesarean!
I cried righteously, and the pain of delivery stopped instantly, as she appeared. She was so beautiful and so immediately alert – looking all around the room at her new surroundings in amazement. Within the first hour, she had latched on, and my hope for being a 100% breastfeeding mommy was easily fulfilled. My doctor and the two nurses who delivered her were very impressed with her, as were the rest of the staff at the hospital during my three-day stay. My mother and my brother arrived the morning after she was born – from far away. I was ecstatic and all the people around me could feel it – and were happy for us. She is now 2 1/2 months old and we are fully bonded. She is making excellent progress in her development and we are growing closer every day.
This has been the best experience of my life . . . and my life has started over in many ways now that she is with me. I have never had a second thought about any of this, and as I’ve told parts of this story to many people along the way, I’ve had time to think about it a lot. Embryo adoption helps many people – and is a very positive choice for everyone involved – donor parents, embryos waiting, infertile mothers-to-be, and doctors who want to help their patients. I think many people will choose this path as they learn about its possibility. Let our case be a happy example for anyone considering it.
Married for 5 years, travelled the world, settled with great jobs, we decided the time was right with me being 29 years old to start a family. I was very lucky to find that I was pregnant right away.The pregnancy ended in a very early miscarriage at 5-6 weeks.We were very disappointed, however took it in our stride knowing that early miscarriages are very common.The second pregnancy occurred barely 3 months later.This one progressed to about 7-8 weeks before ultrasounds failed to reveal a normal uterine pregnancy. This time around we decided to take a break, we travelled some more. In late 2004 I was pregnant for the third time. This time I was followed very closely by my doctors, was on unnecessary precautions like modified bed rest etc only to have the pregnancy end in a miscarriage at 12 weeks. This was a very traumatic miscarriage not only emotionally but also physically as I hemorrhaged.
After this I underwent every possible test under the sun for recurrent miscarriages and discovered I had a genetic disorder which would predispose us to multiple/ recurrent miscarriages but there was always that chance that we could have a completely normal pregnancy too. It was like playing russian roulette- the next pregnancy could be the one or the next 8 pregnancies could end in miscarriage. We decided that physically and emotionally I could not handle any further miscarriages. We decided to undergo PGD in the U.S. which involved stimulation, retrieval, embryo development and then analysis of a single cell from each embryo to find atleast one genetically normal embryo which could then be transferred back to me. Two cycles of PGD offered us no normal embryos, so the next logical step was to pursue egg donation.
We contacted three leading IVF specialists in Mumbai. One of them, highly acclaimed in Mumbai as a research oriented person and the head of IVF at a top notch hospital led us on a wild goose chase, the second one just did not seem concerned enough. Dr Malpani was prompt and reassuring. Unlike many others who describe bad experiences with their doctors in the U.S. I had a really superb team of doctors- both my Ob-Gyn group and my RE group were the best in the area and very caring, organized. My whole problem was to find someone in India who could liason with my group of doctors here since I wanted to conduct the early part of my cycle in the U.S. and then travel to India midway through for my transfer. Dr Malpani assured me that this was entirely possible. At every stage whether it was for a simple blood draw, for baseline ultrasounds, or for drug prescriptions he was very prompt in sending orders with his signature attached via email for the doctors I was working with here.
We travelled to India in late 2005 for our first cycle of donor egg IVF. Apart from a few hitches which Dr Malpani did his best to take care of the cycle went smoothly. We transferred 4 good looking embryos however the cycle did not work.We decided to travel to India once more in early 2006 for another cycle. By this point in time I had more or less been on artificial hormones, taking injections, undergoing ultrasounds etc pretty much non- stop for a little over 8 months. I am usually a very cheerful, feisty, buoyant person but my nerves were beginning to get frayed by this time. This cycle started out well with the donor developing almost 19 follicles. From what I recall 15 eggs were retrieved, and 12 fertilized. We were thrilled. Even if this cycle did not work, we thought we would have some to freeze.
On the day of the transfer however we found that only one of those embryos was 4 celled and that too with a lot of fragmentation. Three others were 2 celled and of very poor quality. The others were not even fit to transfer. I was so disappointed that I almost decided not to go through with the transfer. If not for Dr Malpani’s gentle persuasion I would have most definitely backed out. Anyway we did transfer the one 4 celled embryo and the three 2 celled embryos. I did not rest after the transfer, travelled the very next day, lifted heavy things etc assuming that this cycle was most definitely a bust. Dr Malpani called me a few days later to check on me and I was so disappointed that I was almost churlish on the phone. He said that he and Dr Mrs Malpani would pray for me. Wonder of wonders I tested positive 9 days later.
The pregnancy was a very difficult one with hyperemesis for the first 7 months with my having to be hospitalized for rehydration a few times, preterm labour starting at 30 weeks, gestational diabetes setting in at 24 weeks, zero weight gain leading to concerns about fetal development. At the end of all this we had a beautiful baby girl who truly has completed our family and has made all the pregnancy problems worthwhile to the extent that we are now considering another cycle soon.
We are Rosa and Gary and we live just outside of Nashville Tennessee. Gary and I married in December of 1992 and we immediately tried to have a baby. After a year of unsuccessfully trying to conceive Gary had a semen analysis performed which came back better than normal. We were told by the doctors in the USA to try for an additional 6 months and if I had not become pregnant during this time, that I would have a complete fertility workup. (The doctors did not seem too concerned, as I was only 24 years old, and by US standards this is still very young). By 1998 we had gone through so many IUI’s, (artificial insemination), that we had lost count. In 2000 I was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure by an OB/GYN whom I worked for and had taken an interest in my case. I feel fortunate to have worked for this doctor, as I wonder if I hadn’t, if I would still have the diagnosis of unexplained infertility.
By the end of 2000 we had attempted 3 IVF cycles, with the first cycle being cancelled due to poor ovarian reserve, the second cycle resulted in a positive pregnancy test, with a miscarriage soon to follow, and the third cycle left us with a heart wrenching negative result, as we knew that this was our final attempt because the doctors would not allow us to continue treatment with my eggs. I remember attempting these 3 IVF cycles as if it were yesterday. I remember every ultra sound scan being extremely emotional as my ovaries were not wanting to produce the sufficient number of eggs required by the fertility clinic where I was receiving treatment.
The emotional roller coaster was really enough for us to handle, but we also had a fight on our hands with every IVF cycle because the USA doctors were constantly wanting to cancel our cycle with every visit. We feel as though the fertility clinic was more concerned with their stats than our care. I remember being so emotionally stressed that before every visit I would have to stop in the ladies room and become sick. After the third and final IVF attempt with my own eggs, we were given the option to use donor eggs. After a lot of thought, Gary and I decided against donor egg and opted to pursue International adoption, as the costs were equivalent, but adoption was a sure way to have a baby.
It is now 2005 and we have 2 beautiful children, a 5 year old girl, and a 2 year old boy, both adopted from India! We were in the process of our third adoption when India changed their guidelines which made us ineligible to adopt again from India. We have always wanted a house full of children and it was at this time that we started to investigate another way to build our family. This investigation constantly brought us back to donor egg / embryo. Therefore Gary and I decided to go forth with this option, but stumbled across yet another hurdle as we could not find any donor egg / embryo of Asian Indian decent in the USA. It was at this time that I met Dr. Aniruddha Malpani via the Internet. The Malpanis were a breath of fresh air and certainly a godsend! After months of planning and coordinating our schedules I made a trip to India for an IVF cycle of donor embryo.
At first I was extremely nervous, and because of this may have even seemed a bit stand offish to the Malpanis. But this husband wife team have an aura about them that immediately put me at ease. Dr. Aniruddha Malpani was witty in his quiet assuring way, with Dr. Anjali Malpani having a sweet, delicate and compassionate empathy. Both doctors exuded confidence and extreme intelligence and at no time did I feel that my care was inadequate. I had 2 ultra sound scans, one performed by Dr. Anjali and the other by Dr. Aniruddha. During the scans, both doctors actually showed me the monitor so that I could see my uterus and endometrial lining and explained in detail what they were doing. After the scans I was taken into Dr. Aniruddha’s office where he reiterated what we had seen on the monitor and then proceeded to explain my treatment plan. On the day of embryo transferred I was dressed for the procedure and then taken into the lab and shown our embryos.
We had a total of six healthy embryos and it was at this time that I was given the choice as to how many I wanted transferred back into my uterus. Dr Aniruddha helped to direct me with this decision in a realistic yet compassionate way. Unlike in the USA, they advocate a patients choice and encourage one to be proactive in their treatment plan. While in the procedure room the anaesthesiologist asked me the necessary questions, i.e…drug allergies, past surgeries, etc. He then looked at my veins, and placed the needle on the first stick! I was totally amazed as he stuck the arm that many have had great difficulty getting a good vein in. As the nurses and anaesthesiologist continued to prep me, I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer that the transfer would go smoothly. When I opened my eyes from my prayer, Dr. Anjali was standing next to me and asked me if I were praying, and I told her yes. I felt that she showed great consideration as she did not interrupt me at this very personal time. She then gave me a few words of assurance, the anaesthesia was started and she proceeded with the embryo transfer.
The Malpani’s staff were caring, and assuring yet at the same time quietly competent. While coming out of my anaesthesia, I found the nurse holding my hand and calling my name. She talked to me as if she had known me for years, and even kissed my cheek in a reassuring manner. You can teach techniques, but you can not teach sincerity! After the procedure, and when I was somewhat awake, Dr. Aniruddha Malpani came into the resting room and explained what had transpired during the transfer. He stated that he felt confident that the procedure went well and that all embryos were safely placed into my uterus. The office was immaculate, clean and was equipped with the latest medical technology. I have personally worked in the medical field for years and I c
We wish that we would have found the Malpanis at the beginning of our infertility journey, as they provided an extremely positive and encouraging environment during our treatment at their clinic. Although going out of one’s country for medical treatment can be a frightening thought, I would encourage any couple seeking help to conceive to contact Dr’s. Aniruddha and Anjali Malpani for consultation and or treatment. We have absolutely no regrets from our experience with the Malpanis and would not hesitate to return to their clinic. We thank God for putting them in our lives and wish them all the success in the world, as they so very much deserve it!
