Advanced IVF therapy helps woman athlete conceive

Bengaluru: A city hospital helped a woman athlete with thin uterus to conceive through IVF. Doctors performed a Platelets Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, which made the athlete give birth to a healthy baby boy recently.

After winning many state-level competitions, it was time for her to run at the national-level championship. But Sudha (name changed), a young sprinter, was forcibly married at the age of 27 by her parents. She spoke to her husband and they came to an understanding that she would continue to pursue her career in athletics even after marriage.

Everything was going fine as she was balancing her personal and professional life well with the support of her husband. But when she started having irregular menses for over six months, she decided to visit a gynaecologist.

On detailed investigation, it was found that her endometrial lining was less than 6 mm against the wall advance standard of 7-12 mm. A woman’s body needs at least 22% body fat to ovulate and become pregnant. But as Sudha also had a low fat count, she was experiencing irregular menses. This meant that she would not bear a child even if she conceived.

“I had to balance my passion as well as my family and even after so much of discouragement, I always wanted to win at the national level. But at one point, I felt that both my family and career were coming to an end. Being a woman, success was not meant for me, I thought. Facing so many issues, social stigma and emerging as a successful sprinter in my state was a good achievement. Coming to know that I would not enjoy motherhood was a complete shock,” she said.

Dr Vinod Kumar, IVF expert, Indira IVF Hospital, said, “PRP therapy is proving to be a boon for such patients. It involves extracting a blood sample from the patient’s body and separating the platelets (a blood component) through centrifugation. PRP helps growth, betters hormonal balance and also improves body’s resistance.”

He said that the patient is injected with 3-5 ml of PRP on day 12 and 14 of the therapy. “In Sudha’s case, there was a significant growth observed after the second session (5.8 to 6.8mm), and after the 18th day, the endometrial thickness was found to be 7.5 mm, which was enough to conceive and maintain a healthy pregnancy. She underwent IVF treatment and recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy,” Dr Kumar said.

Sudha said that advancements in medical science have kept her hopes alive, allowing a healthy balance between her family and career. “I am soon ready to restart my athletics career where I left off,” she added.