Marina From USA writes...

We are a couple from Atlanta, Georgia . Just like most of us, we had a hard time conceiving for many years. By twist of fate we happened to be in India and have been introduced to Malpani clinic. My husband travels a lot for his job and for the last several years he comes to India often. I join my husband most of the time on his business trips, and that is how we ended up in Bombay, India.

I first came across Malpani clinic’s website a few years ago but I did not even think about doing the treatments in India, it was more like a curiosity. Well, a few years later we were staying in Bombay again and I received an e-mail from my friend from home with the same Malpani clinic’s website. Since I was already in India and not too far from this clinic I talked to my husband and we decided to “check it out”. Trust me, we had many concerns before we sat up that appointment. My husband is an engineer and his main concern was that clinics in India do not have the appropriate equipment to carry out such a procedure. This is why the first thing that my husband asked when we met with Dr. Malpani is to show all of the equipment that will be used. I can honestly say just one thing; my husband and I were satisfied with what we saw. All of the equipment came from Japan and was the best available. So, after we met with doctors Malpani and talked to them, we decided to start a treatment right away.

I had all my tests done in Atlanta earlier, so I did not have to repeat them again. My husband, on another hand, being a member of the famous Kaiser Permanente HMO had done 4 sperm tests and never saw a doctor or even the results of his tests. So much for the “great” American medical system…. Dr. Malpani needed just one sample from my husband and after 5 min. he told us the results, he actually showed it to us on computer screen and explained why we need this particular treatment.

The whole treatment procedure lasted for about three weeks. The first two weeks I was receiving hormonal injections to stimulate my egg production. In my case, my husband did all the injections himself, so we did not have to see the doctor every single day. I was required to see the doctor thought to check how the eggs are developing a few times during my injection therapy. After two weeks when my eggs were fully developed, they were removed under the general anesthesia and embryos were put back inside in a day. I was really scared about the surgical procedures but I had no problems at all. I had no pain, no blood, unbelievably for my self, I was just fine. I and my husband saw our embryos on a computer screen before we decided how many of them we want to put inside of me. Doctors Malpani explained to us why these particular embryos are the best and we even took a picture of them for our family album.

My main advantage of doing this treatment away from home was the requirement for time and an ability to relax. You know how we all are usually busy at home. Even if we do not work, there is always something hectic going on. Another great reason to do this procedure in India is the cost. The total price we paid for the whole treatment is about 20% of what it would cost in America. By the way, all of the medicine that was provided by Dr. Malpani for this treatment is made in Germany and France and the cost for this medicine in India is much lower then in America. More that that, the cost of this medicine in America would be more than the entire treatment cost us in India. So, this trip to India might be beneficial in many different areas at the same time. You can conceive a baby, forget about your daily routine and relax, look at the country and learn about its culture. The important thing is to come to India at the right season. One should avoid months of April – September because these are the hot and rainy months. The winter in Bombay is very nice with mild days and cool nights.

I got pregnant after the first try and I am now 8 weeks pregnant. Now it’s up to me and my body to make sure this pregnancy will go to term, but I know for sure that great doctors Malpani did everything that they could to make it happened. Did you check the statistic of IVF clinics in America? Their success rate is not better than 30%. Did you check the number of treatments that they do? Did you check the number treatments per doctor? Well, small Malpani clinic in India is a very very busy clinic. You can meet people there from different parts of the world. Now I know that there is a reason why all these people travel half way across the world to Malpani clinic. This husband and wife practice probably carried out more IVF treatments than a large hospital in USA. Their experience and dedication attract a large number of future parents who need help just like us.

Here's what Elizabeth looks like at 5 months ( April 2006)

Marina from USA