What do they do?

An infertility expert has to be an extremely compassionate individual ready to listen to a patient’s medical and emotional problems. People in India are still not very comfortable talking about such issues, and not being able to conceive can be extremely traumatic for a couple.

Fertility treatment can range from simple medication to operative laparoscopy.  Advan-ced assisted reproductive techniques include in vitro fertilisation or IVF, a basic procedure, where the sperm fertilises the egg ‘in vitro’ or outside the body. The embryo which is created is then transferred to the uterus, or ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), etc. Surrogacy is also getting to be popular.

Skills Needed

• Good at handling IVF, other procedures, able to carefully manage egg-collection and preservation techniques
• A desire to keep yourself updated with the latest advancements related to fertility treatment
• Great communication skills to help the couple understand everything about the treatment
• Good counselling skills as breaking the news to a woman that she can’t have children can be one of the toughest of tasks
• Ability to put in long working hours. At times, you work without any breaks for hours together

How do I get there?

You have to take up science in Class 12 and then take the medical entrance conducted by CBSE, or entrance exams of other colleges/universities. Then, you need a postgraduate MD degree in obstetrics and gynaecology and a specialisation in infertility treatment. To work in this field an in-depth knowledge of the subject along with training in specialised techniques is required. Along with the theoretical and practical knowledge working as a fertility specialist requires immense patience and dedication.