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Fertility is something not a lot of people touch base on. However, the last 10 years have proven that more people around the globe and in the country, have grown more open to conversations about fertility and all that surrounds it. Although a religious and traditional country, the Philippines has also grown more open to the important conversations and movements that surround fertility and overall sexual health.

Did you know that according to a study by market research firm Synovate, about 10% of Filipino couples are infertile? Infertility is defined as a “failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.”

The first IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) Facility in Mindanao celebrated its 7th anniversary on October 23, 2022. The day was spent with a remarkable family day anchored on the theme, “Celebrating Life- Realizing the Dream of Parenthood.”

One of the highlights of the celebration was a reunion of the children who were conceived through the IVF Facility. As of 2020, IVF Davao has produced 122 babies in total. It doesn’t end there, though. That’s 122 lives gifted through the beauty and wonder of science. That’s 122 families graced with the blessing of children. Can you imagine the joy and hope and awe these miracles created?

The day was also spent in a lay forum to discuss causes and common misconceptions about infertility. Parents also shared testimonials about how IVF Davao helped their family dreams come to fruition.

To those who are unfamiliar, IVF or In-Vitro Fertilization is a medical procedure wherein an egg cell and a sperm cell extracted from a couple are combined for fertilization outside the body within a laboratory facility. The fertilized egg or embryo is then injected into the woman’s uterus after about two weeks, inducing pregnancy.

IVF Davao has been providing fertility, IVF, and other assisted reproductive technology services not just for couples in the Davao Region or Mindanao but also to aspiring parents hailing from the Sulawesi Region of Indonesia.

The facility also offers egg freezing, sperm freezing, embryo freezing, testicular sperm extraction, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and fertility counseling.

Merck has also been a supporter of IVF Davao, which the company considers as a milestone in itself. Managing Director and General Manager of Merck, Henry Wilson says that Merck is happy to make the technology available to more Filipino Families. He also spoke about the decreasing birth rate in the country.

Overall, the 7th year anniversary celebration of IVF Davao was incredibly worth it. Conversations like these are so important in a time when everything is evolving.

IVF Davao is located in the ground floor of the Brokenshire Women’s Center Building at Brokenshire Hospital in Madapo Hills, Davao City.