siliconindia | | June 20188nfertility, or the inability to conceive naturally, is a ris-ing phenomenon in India, currently affecting 10-15 percent of married couples. Estimates suggest that nearly 27.5 million couples in the country are plagued by the condition. Historically, infertility has been perceived as be-ing tethered to purely female factors. However, studies show that male fac-tor infertility is just as responsible for contributing to the surging epidemic, indicating that the infertility mosaic in the country is equally fuelled by both genders. The spiraling infertili-ty rate in India is fanned by an array of factors, including late marriages, a delayed decision to conceive, habitu-al alcohol and tobacco consumption, obesity, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometrial tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases. Additionally, the concept of infertility as an urban tag has been shattered by its recent ad-vent in rural areas. This trend has been attributed to generations of exposure to pesticides, among other factors.The Evolution of Fertility Centres in IndiaAssisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have blossomed as welcome intervention treatments for infertile couples in the last decade. Such tech-nologies have been and continue to be harbored by super-specialized centres christened ART clinics, in vitro fertil-isation (IVF) clinics or simply, fertil-ity centres. Such centres have mush-roomed across the country over the past few years, a telling testament of the growing demand for assisted re-productive services. The crown jewel in the services suite of many of these centres is IVF, whose cost ranges from Rs. 1.5-2 Lakhs per cycle, mak-ing it a treatment that weighs slight-ly more heavily on the pocket. The pricing of IVF has heralded a greater skew of demand in tier-1 and affluent tier-2 markets, a reflection of the higher purchase propensity in such cities. Interestingly, more than half of ART centres are spread across tier-1 cities alone.Fertility Centres: The Darling of InvestorsThe prevalence of infertility combined with healthcare investors constantly looking for new-age business models has aided the explosion of ART cen-IN MY opinionBy Nitin S. Nag, Director, Cloudnine HospitalsHeadquartered in Bangalore, Cloudnine is one of the leading pregnancy care providers delivering world-class services in a broad spectrum of medical specialties which include maternity, gynecology, neonatal intensive care, stem cell preservation, and pediatrics.FUTURE OF FERTILITY: THE CONSOLIDATION OF STAND-ALONE FERTILITY CENTRES & TRADITIONAL HEALTHCARE ENTITIESI
< Page 7 | Page 9 >