A fertility specialist, Dr Jaiyeoba Adeyemi, has dismissed the notion that children born through In Vitro Fertilisation are abnormal.

Speaking at the Welcome Forum of the BridgeClinic, themed, “Optimising Your Fertility Health,” held in Lagos, Adeyemi stressed that IVF-conceived children were just as normal as those born through natural conception.

He said, “Some people feel that a baby born through IVF will be an abnormal one. We have babies who are born through IVF and they are all normal because it is still the same human genetic that is being used.

“We use the sperm produced by the man and the egg produced by the woman. It is the same thing that is used in conception. So, babies born through IVF are just as normal as babies who are born naturally.”

On IVF success rates, the expert said outcomes vary but noted encouraging statistics in recent years.

Adeyemi urged couples who have been trying to conceive for a year without success to seek fertility evaluation or treatment.

He stressed the urgency for women aged 35 and above to act early, as fertility declines with age.

“Women above 35 need more urgent care than women in their 20s and early 30s. The general rule is that couples who have been trying to conceive for one year and have not gotten pregnant should seek fertility treatment or at least fertility testing.

“However, a 35-year-old woman who has been trying for six months should also seek treatment because the quality of a woman’s eggs declines as she grows older,” Adeyemi said.

On egg donation, Adeyemi explained that the fertility industry in Nigeria was still developing but is being guided by regulatory bodies such as the Association of Fertility and Reproductive Health, which monitors ethical practices including egg donation.

He added that BridgeClinic follows strict protocols when accepting egg donors.