 |
Interview with
Dr. Wiwat
Quangkananurug,
Fertility
Specialist at
the
IVFMiraclebaby
Clinic, Srisiam
hospital in
Bangkok,
Thailand.
November 2008
Interviewer:
you’re one of
Thailand’s
busiest and most
eminent
fertility
specialists yet
I’m told you
still personally
meet every
patient that
turns to you for
help and often
spend hours
emailing and
talking to
people before
they even arrive
in Thailand. How
do you find the
time?
Dr.Wiwat :
Well, I believe
its important
that patients
are given every
kindness and
consideration
because they are
riding an
emotional roller
coaster that
often never
seems to end. I
naturally do
everything I can
to help them
have a baby of
their own but it
takes a lot of
courage to
continually
experience
disappointment
and yet still be
willing to try
again. I admire
that. Luckily we
have been able
to achieve high
success rates
using a number
of different
treatment
options so I
have been able
to help many
patients achieve
their dream.
It’s a wonderful
feeling when
that happens –
and it happens
regularly
nowadays. I have
many pictures of
new born babies
on my office
wall!
Interviewer:
What are the
most popular
fertility
treatments?
Dr.Wiwat :
Its not so
important which
are the most
popular but
which are the
most effective
and suited to
the individual
patient. Most of
our overseas
patients have
usually been
trying to become
pregnant for
several years,
some up to six
or seven, and
had often given
up. We look at
each patient’s
medical history
and devise a
treatment plan
that addresses
their medical
and emotional
issues.
Sometimes the
constant
emotional stress
associated with
failing can
become a root
cause of their
infertility.
However, the
three most
requested
treatments by
oversea patients
are Egg
Donation,
Surrogacy and
Gender
Selection, also
called family
balancing.
Interviewer:
Why those three?
Dr.Wiwat :
Mainly because
of cost and
availability. In
Australia, the
UK and other
European
countries Gender
Selection,
unless it is for
medical reasons,
is not allowed.
Egg Donors are
hard to find and
Surrogates
virtually
impossible in
many countries.
The USA is
simply too
expensive!
Our price for
Surrogacy, for
example, can be
as little as one
third the cost
of say, the USA.
Also, the law in
Thailand is a
little more
flexible. India
has recently
banned Gender
Selection,
unless on
medical grounds,
so we are
getting many
more enquiries
from that part
of the world. In
fact, we have
patients from
many countries
and many
different
cultures. The
Middle East,
China, India,
Australia,
America,
England…. So
many I can’t
remember them
all!
Interviewer:
So
Infertility
crosses all
borders
Dr.Wiwat :Definitely,
also women are
working longer
and often leave
it too late to
decide to have a
child and that
is where egg
donation is a
good option.
Male infertility
is on the
increase as well
and can be at
any age. Luckily
we have ICSI
which enables us
to inject a
single sperm
into an egg so
even when a man
is unable to
produce many
sperm the couple
can usually
achieve a
successful
pregnancy.
Interviewer:
I also
understand you
have your own
embryology lab
Dr.Wiwat :Yes,
we are extremely
fortunate in
having Mrs Tida
as our Senior
Embryologist.
Mrs. Tida and I
have worked
together for
over ten years
and our
partnership is
perhaps the main
reason we enjoy
such high
success rates.
Having our own
Embryology lab
gives us strict
quality control
and the ability
to provide
services such as
PGD and ICSI
in-house. Mrs
Tida’s technical
expertise is
unsurpassed in
Thailand, in my
biased opinion!
Interviewer:
Why do infertile
couples choose
Surrogacy?
Dr.Wiwat :
In most cases
because the
woman is unable
carry a
pregnancy
because of
medical reasons
such as
recurrent
miscarriage or
previous
surgery. Using
IVF we can
combine her eggs
with her
partner’s sperm
in vitro and
transfer the
resultant embryo
into the
Surrogate’s
uterus. In cases
where the woman
is unable to
produce her own
eggs we can use
an Egg Donor.
And of course,
we can also use
a sperm donor in
the case of male
infertility. In
most cases the
patients usually
only have to
stay in Bangkok
for 4 or 5 days
and then return
for the birth of
the baby.
Interviewer:
What about Egg
Donors and
Gender
Selection?
Dr.Wiwat :
Using an Egg
Donor is the
only option for
women who are
unable to
produce viable
eggs. Our Egg
Donors are young
women, often
university
students, who
offer their
services to
infertile
couples. Our
screening
process is very
strict to ensure
the safest and
best possible
outcome. The Egg
Donor usually
produces enough
eggs for two or
three treatment
cycles and
success rates
are high because
the age of the
recipient is not
so important as
the age of the
donor. We
usually obtain
enough embryos
to freeze using
our
Cryopreservation
process should
subsequent tries
be necessary.
However, the
success rate is
always a little
higher with
fresh eggs so we
obviously do our
best to achieve
a successful
outcome the
first time.
Interviewer:
And Gender
Selection?
Dr.Wiwat :
Gender Selection
was originally
used to
eliminate the
chance of
genetic disease
passed down
through the
male. However,
many people now
use Gender
Selection to
‘balance their
family’, as the
Americans term
it. Often a
couple may have
one or more
daughters or
sons but no
children of the
opposite sex.
Using our
advanced PGD
methods we can
very accurately
determine the
sex of an
embryo, the
success rate is
better than 99%,
and we can
guarantee the
transfer of a
male or female
embryo,
according to the
couple’s wishes.
Some men have a
predominance of
male sperm,
others female.
PGD gives us a
virtually fail
safe method of
guaranteeing a
child’s sex. And
because we wait
until the tested
embryos are 5
days old before
transferring
them to the
mother we can
select the
highest quality
embryos. This
means a much
higher chance of
a successful
outcome- far
greater than
nature gives us!
Interviewer:
Thank you for
your time
Doctor, this has
been most
interesting.
Have you any
encouraging
words for
infertile
couples who
might be reading
this?
Dr.Wiwat :
I would say
don’t give up
hope.
Infertility
treatment has
come a long way
in the past few
years and there
are affordable
solutions such
as Surrogacy and
Egg Donation
that could make
your dream come
true.
|
|
