01 November 2016
Through IVF Lite, Aster IVF & Women Clinic is aiming to make fertility treatments in UAE affordable and less invasive for women.

· Based on recent research findings that milder ovarian stimulations result in chromosomally normal eggs, IVF Lite involves lower dosage of fertility drugs and retrieval of fewer eggs in each cycle.[i]

· Only clinic in UAE offering cost-effective and safer solutions for IVF treatment

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - IVF Lite or Minimal Stimulation IVF is an advanced and simpler treatment protocol, associated with stimulation of quality and fewer eggs from each cycle providing better tolerability for patients over lesser time to complete the IVF cycle.[ii] Experts at Aster IVF & Women Clinic in Bur Dubai are witnessing successful results of the treatment in older women (40 and above) as well as those with low ovarian reserve, multiple IVF failures, hyper-responders or poor responders to medication. In addition, it also negates the long-term complications associated with traditional IVF procedure.

With changing ideologies and the lifestyles, couples today opt for pregnancies later in life. However, women aged 40 and above face a higher risk of complications in normal pregnancies, and even IVF success rates drop. Delayed fertility treatment could also lead to complications. Experts say that women over 40 must seek medical help within at least six months of trying and failing to conceive because a woman’s fertility progressively drops after 40. According to Dubai Health Authority (DHA), around 50 per cent of women in UAE face infertility issues. Research by Aster DM Healthcare predicts that the number of women seeking treatment for infertility every year could almost double from 5,975 cases in 2015 to 9,139 cases by 2030.[iii] IVF Lite increases the options available to couples looking for infertility treatment. With fewer side effects, less invasive techniques and lower costs, Aster’s IVF Lite is an easily accessible program that couples can avail of in the UAE.

“We receive patients at the Aster IVF & Women Clinic every day for consultation on infertility. Late marriages and late motherhood are common causes of infertility. In the UAE, high Body Mass Index (BMI) and diabetes are also some of the reasons associated with infertility. Across the UAE, several expat women travel back to their home country for treatment because of the trauma involved and the cost associated with traditional IVF. With Aster IVF Lite, however, we are striving to ensure that all couples who are facing difficulties in starting a family have a viable option to turn to that is cost effective and has shown a good success rate,” said Dr. Gautam Allahbadia, IVF Consultant and Head of Aster IVF & Women Clinic.

Dubai is a popular destination for medical tourism and patients from across the Middle East and North Africa travel to the UAE seeking fertility treatment. Boasting highly trained specialists, stringent controls and standards, regulations that allow treatment for all, and internationally accredited lab facilities, Aster IVF & Women Clinic offers convenient packages for people in whose home countries fertility treatments are limited or restricted.

Aster IVF & Women Clinic is the only clinic in the UAE to offer IVF Lite – a complete package of stimulation, accumulation and vitrification of oocytes and remote or deferred embryo transfer. The treatment is overseen by Aster experts who are pioneers in Minimal Stimulation IVF in Asia.Aster recommends IVF Lite for women above the age of 40; women who have had multiple failed attempts at conventional IVF treatments; women with low ovarian reserve; those who are looking for a more cost effective IVF treatment.

As the recent global trend in IVF moves towards single embryo transfers, the quality of the embryo is very important. IVF Lite involves soft stimulation involving lesser amount of fertility drugs and is designed to retrieve only a few eggs in each ovarian stimulation cycle. Recent research has shown that stimulation in this manner has been associated with better quality eggs and hence better quality embryos. It is a simpler treatment schedule with fewer side effects and lower risks of Multiple Pregnancy and Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome (OHSS).iii

Aster IVF & Women Clinic takes a holistic approach to women’s health offering a broad spectrum of care for different phases of a woman’s life. Patients can avail of various treatments including state-of-the-art Ovulation Induction, recurrent miscarriage screening and therapies, IUI, IVF, ICSI and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis and Screening using Next Generation Sequencing for 100% 24-chromosome diagnosis including elective PGD-IVF Sex Selection for family-balancing. The women’s health specialty also offers gynaecological services, investigation and treatment related to menstrual disorders, treatment for Urinary Dysfunction, Physiotherapy, Wellness, Yoga and Cosmetology.

About Aster DM Healthcare
Aster DM Healthcare is a healthcare network with over 293 operating facilities across 9 countries, including 18 hospitals, 88 clinics and 187 retail pharmacies. The organization has 15,855 employees including 1,796 full time doctors.

For more information please contact:
Lisa Alvares / Reem Abi Ali
Memac Ogilvy PR
Email: lisa.alvares@ogilvy.com /reem.abiali@ogilvy.com 
Tel: +971 (0) 4 305 0329/ +971 (0)4 305 0310         

References:
[i] Stimulation and aneuploidy: Why are milder stimulation protocols better? Available at: http://www.ivflite.org/article.asp?issn=2348-2907;year=2016;volume=3;issue=2;spage=41;epage=45;aulast=Allahbadia  

[ii] IVF Lite: Is this the Future of Assisted Reproduction?. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3650145/  

[iii] Infertility in UAE: a research study by Aster IVF and Women Clinic. Available at: http://asterivf.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/IVF-STUDY-FINAL-3.pdf  

© Press Release 2016