With figures showing that one-in-six couples in Ireland will experience fertility difficulties, getting pregnant can be a lot harder than it seems.
To help those seeking answers and advice on how to navigate the process, Lunchtime Live has launched a new segment called ‘Making Babies’, which will air every Wednesday afternoon.
Master of the National Maternity Hospital Professor Shane Higgins joined the show for the first segment today.
“So, that’s a number that’s out there now, that one-in-six couples will experience trouble conceiving in Ireland,” he said.
“I suppose, a lot has happened in the last couple of years; so the Government under the stewardship of Stephen Donnelly introduced in 2022 six public fertility hubs, three in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway.
“They will now take patients who are experiencing difficulty – and by that, I mean if the female member of a couple is under 36 and they’ve been trying to conceive for 12 months then they can be referred.
“If a female member of a couple is over 36 then after six months they can be referred for investigation and possible treatment.”
Since September 2023, eligible couples are able to have IVF or assisted reproduction cycles through these hubs.
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Prof Higgins said that while a lot is heard about female fertility, about 30% of subfertility cases are related to male partners.
He said the term ‘subfertility’ is now used in the place of ‘infertility’ “because most couples will – with assistance – be able to have a baby”.
“What I would say to couples is it is a big step to take to kind of go down the road of, ‘I’m struggling to conceive and I want to go see somebody in a fertility unit’,” he said.
“The first step, if you do decide to choose to do that, is to go and see your GP, who will do some basic investigations and they will refer you to the public fertility unit.
“If you want to go to any of the private providers – and there are many of them around – then you can just make an appointment yourself.
“But to come through a public unit, there are fairly strict guidelines in terms of who can be referred, what criteria they meet, and from there then you’ll be investigated and moved on, if it’s deemed appropriate, into a fertility cycle.”
According to Prof Higgins, it is also important to normalise “a lot of what goes on around miscarriage and not being able to conceive”.
'Making Babies' will air every Wednesday at around 12.40.
To get in touch with the show you can email lunchtimelive@newstalk.com.
Main image: Fertility clinic consultation. Image: Science Photo Library / Alamy. 20 August 2018
