True Fertility Story: Meet the Faces of IVF 2.0
The birth of Louise Joy Brown in July 1978 made headlines all over the world, as Brown was the first IVF baby (or, as the media so tactfully put it, "the first test-tube baby"). Now, almost 30 years later, the arrival of another baby has become a banner for a brand-new advance in IVF technology—one that may make a difference for the egg-challenged like myself.
Enter Zain Rajani, the first baby born with AUGMENT technology. What's AUGMENT, you ask? In a nutshell, AUGMENT amps up the typical IVF process by extracting energy-producing mitochondria from the woman's immature eggs (found in the protective lining of the ovaries) and using it to improve the health and energy of her current eggs. (One doctor likens it to putting new batteries in a flashlight.)
Of course, progress doesn't come cheap—the process adds about $25,000 to the already high cost of IVF. Also, the experimental treatment is currently only available in select countries (Turkey, Canada, United Kingdom, and Arab Emirates)—which is why it made sense for Natasha Rajani, a now 34-year-old Toronto resident who has become the first to successfully take advantage of the new technology.
Natasha and her husband Omar had been trying to conceive for close to four years before learning about AUGMENT, and during that time, they'd covered the full-fertility treatment spectrum—from trying naturally to Clomid to IUI cycles with injectable fertility drugs. After her first bout with Clomid, Natasha did become pregnant but it ended in ectopic pregnancy, an experience that she says was "physically and emotionally tough."
But Natasha and Omar didn't actually find out why they were having trouble conceiving until they tried IVF for the first time last March.
"There were very few eggs that fertilized successfully and even fewer that made it to a stage where they could be transferred," says Natasha. "Although the IVF was unsuccessful, we were grateful that it gave us insight into what the real issue was: egg quality."
The failed IVF cycle also ended up bringing another blessing in disguise: the opportunity to be one of the first couples to try AUGMENT. Shortly after the cycle, the couple received a call from their fertility doctor, who shared that they now qualified for this new procedure.
Says Natasha, "I remember calling Omar in tears and telling him I felt like we'd won the lottery—I was so excited to have something else to try."
They didn't waste any time getting started. In May, just two months after their IVF, Natasha underwent an AUGMENT biopsy to extract mitochondria. She then began the usual IVF process, taking stimulation drugs and undergoing egg retrieval—but she hit a serious roadblock: ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
"My clinic told me I'd have to freeze the embryos and wait [to proceed with the embryo transfer] until I got better," says Natasha. "I was really upset."
But there was a silver lining: her eggs had responded well to the added mitochondria, resulting in more fertilized embryos.
"I was dumbfounded to hear that we were able to freeze four embryos," Natasha says. "It was a considerable difference from our first IVF cycle."
The rest of the summer flew by as Natasha took time to heal; the couple went on a much-needed trip to Europe to celebrate a friend's wedding in London and visit Italy for a few weeks. When they got back, it was finally time for their embryo transfer, and their efforts paid off: Natasha found out she was pregnant in late August, and Zain was born on April 13, 2015.
"It's been a game-changer and an absolute blessing," says Omar of Zain's arrival. "We are so elated to...bring this boy into the world." Adds Natasha, "I can't even picture the way it was when it was just the two of us anymore."
The Rajanis still have two frozen embryos from the second IVF cycle, and their goal is to give Zain a brother or sister at some point. But for right now, they're enjoying life as a family unit and using their story to help others—says Natasha, "We hope Zain can be a symbol of hope to anyone who struggles with infertility."
You Might Also Like
Solve the daily Crossword
