Female Infertility In Pakistan: Q And A With Dr. Tahira Batool

Dr. Tahira Batool Chaudhry is a leading Gynecologist in Islamabad. At present, she is one of the leading consultants at Australian Concept Infertility Medical Centre and has 36 years of experience. She has specialised in female infertility.

In this session with Oladoc, she discusses a stigmatized topic; female infertility in Pakistan. During this discussion, she explains various norms of our society towards female infertility and its medical treatments. 

Q.1. What women are called infertile?

Well, let me see, when a couple lives together for two years without getting pregnant, there maybe issues of infertility, or subfertility. However, every society has its own social setup and cultural factors that also have to be investigated before labelling anyone infertile.

In our Pakistani society, a newly married couple is asked after barely, 2 to 3 months about “khuskhabris”. This can throw a couple under unnecessary stress. I make sure that I put my patients at ease and do a couple of tests before making any accurate diagnosis.

Q.2. What are the signs of infertility in a woman?

Alright, listen we can’t really say that a woman is infertile, we can only say that she is struggling to conceive. Ofcourse, if a woman has a period for 12 times in a year, then she has the chances of getting pregnant 12 times in a year. However, if a woman has scant or irregular periods, then her chances of getting pregnant would be reduced.

Similarly, women have a history of surgery such as an appendectomy, removal of ovarian cysts or tuberculosis, are also at risk for subfertility and should get their tests done.

Female Infertility In Pakistan: Q And A With Dr. Tahira Batool

Q.3. What causes female infertility?

Since a women’s reproductive system is quite complicated, so are their reasons for infertility. There may be physical causes such as tuberculosis, a family history of reproductive disorders. Other reasons may be psychological such as depression, or extreme stress or anxiety

Q.4. What is the treatment for female infertility?

In Pakistan, we are very advanced in the treatment of fertility. One of the most popular methods is IVF, in-vitro fertilisation (the process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm outside the body, in vitro.)

Other than that, we have intracytoplasmic sperm injection, in which a sperm cell, is injected directly into the egg. We also have IUI, which is intrauterine insemination of the husband’s semen.

Q.5. How can a woman make herself more fertile?

Well, the most important thing in achieving a healthy body-mass index. Your weight must be proportionate to your height. If you are overweight or obese, you are not just a good candidate for infertility but also for a host of other health concerns.

Those health conditions include irregular or overdue periods, diabetes, hypertension, hirsutism, hormone disorders, psychological issues.

If you want to learn more about female infertility, then watch the full interview below. For any fertility issues, consult a gynaecologist. 

You can book an appointment with a top gynaecologist through oladoc.com, or call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT professional for your concerns.