third floor specifically for IVF.
The first success story for the unit was in 2000 and they are here in high
school in Jamaica and doing very well so we know without a doubt that
this works … (laugh)
TBWM: Can you put a number to the amount of
procedures that your unit has done so far?
Dr DaCosta: We do on average 120-130 cases
per year.
TBWM: So a couple tries to conceive unsuccessfully,
what happens next?
Dr DaCosta: Most of the couples we see are
referred to us by local and foreign doctors and one of
the problems we find is that they are not being sent to
us as early as we would like, because, they are
probably thinking, let us just keep trying on our own.
So, one of our problems is that we are seeing too many women in their
40’s and as you know the fertility potential for women is age dependent
and declines significantly after age 40. For example, women who are at
age 20 - the likelihood of getting pregnant each month is 25%, when you
get to age 40 it is approximately 10%. Once they come to the unit, we do
the necessary tests to ascertain if there are any indications for IVF. If
there is, then we discuss the IVF procedures. If we have uncovered no
underlying issues then we may suggest that their timing may be off or
recommend intrauterine insemination.
TBWM: When was this unit started?
Dr DaCosta: The Hugh Wynter Fertility
vasectomy.
Management Unit was started in 1978 with the focus
being on Family Planning Services. We started out by
providing mainly oral contraceptive, intra uterine and
permanent sterilisation namely tubal ligation and
TBWM: When did you transition to include in-vitro
fertilisation (IVF)?
Dr DaCosta: We started to offer the IVF
services in 2000. Initially the unit was funded by the
German government. However, after that funding
arrangement came to an end, we had to start funding
ourselves. So we branched out into doing minimally
invasive gynae surgery…i.e. Laparoscopy, hysteroscopy and the IVF
program. Some of our doctors went away to the United Kingdom for
further training and in 2000 we had our first successful IVF cycle and the
rest is history. Our first success was a set of twin boys who would be
about 16 years old now. Generally, we did well in our first cycle which is
a huge accomplishment for us here in Jamaica simply because there are
other centres outside of Jamaica that did not have the success that we
had. In 2000, we started in a very small area and since then we have
expanded the Unit significantly. In 2011 we created an entire floor, the
TBWM: You mentioned earlier you do an average of
120 cases per month- how prohibitive is the cost if at
all, can the average person come to you?
Dr DaCosta: The cost may be considered
high for some…it is roughly USD$7000 for the
complete process and covers medication, counselling,
ultrasounds, egg recovery and embryo transfer. The
only other fee is JMD$3000 for registration and an
additional fee for egg and sperm freezing. When you compare this cost
to going to the United States it may double, not counting airfare and
accommodations et al.
TBWM: Do you see a high case of infertility among
women and men here in Jamaica?
Dr Dacosta: The rate here is no different from
the rest of the world. In all populations you have about
10 to 15% of the population who suffer from infertility
and that is significant. We see patients mainly from
Jamaica, but, we also see patients from Europe, the
United States and the rest of the Caribbean.
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