LET’S MAKE YOU A FAMILY
Most couples, when they get married, anticipate that they will have no difficulty in starting a family. In the majority, this is true. However, 15% of couples are unable to achieve a pregnancy for a variety of reasons. These couples require investigations to ascertain the cause of their inability to conceive, following which, treatment is begun. Assisted reproduction through in vitro fertilization and related technologies is one of the effective ways to overcome infertility.

In the United Arab Emirates, a number of centres for assisted reproduction are available. However, personalized infertility care and easy access to appointments may be difficult to obtain. It was for these reasons, that Conceive - The Gynaecology and Fertility Hospital, was begun in 2004. Patients coming to Conceive do not face long waiting lists and are treated by a team of internationally trained clinicians, specializing in assisted reproduction.

Set up on Dubai-Sharjah Highway, Conceive is easily accessible to patients from Northern Emirates, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi/Al Ain. Further more, many patients come to Conceive from around the world. No one is turned away based on their nationality, age, or language of origin. The hospital is multinational and multilingual, representing the diversity of the globally interconnected world in which we live.

The Conceive team is headed by Dr. Pankaj Shrivastav, who came to UAE in 1991, after training in assisted reproduction in the United Kingdom. He is one of the pioneers of infertility treatment in the UAE, and was involved in the establishment of a fertility centre at Dubai’s Rashid Hospital in May 1991. He was the Deputy Director of that Centre until May 2004, when he opened Conceive in neighbouring Sharjah.

Dr. Shrivastav has been responsible for the introduction to UAE, of many advanced techniques in assisted reproduction, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to overcome male infertility and blastocyst culture of embryos to improve pregnancy rates. He has also undertaken various research projects, one of which culminated in the development of the techniques of Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration (PESA) and Testicular Sperm Aspiration (TeSA), which are now widely used throughout the world for sperm retrieval from the epidiymis and testes, respectively. The first babies conceived by sperm recovered from the PESA technique were born to a UAE couple treated for male infertility by Dr.Shrivastav in 1993.

The aim of Conceive is to provide infertile couples with a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art reproductive treatments and technologies. The Hospital has fully equipped operating theatre to enable oocyte retrieval to be performed. Facilities for ovulation induction, artificial insemination (intra-uterine insemination), in vitro fertilization (IVF), and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) are all available. Conceive also has facilities for cryopreservation (freezing) of sperm and embryos. In the near future, embryo biopsy for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) will be available. This will allow us to transfer healthy embryos into the uterine cavity after IVF, especially in couples concerned about pre-existing genetic conditions.

Our success in overcoming both male and female infertility is evidenced by the Hospital’s pregnancy rates, which, at nearly 40%, are comparable to the best in the world. Our high success rates are a testament to our constant endeavour to offer the highest quality of patient care.

Additionally, the Hospital provides other gynaecological facilities. Procedures such as hysteroscopy and colposcopy with LLETZ are performed regularly. The fully-equipped ultra sound scanning section has facilities for 3- and 4-dimensional ultrasound scanning and colour Doppler. We also offer ultrasound-guided procedures, such as amniocentesis for advanced maternal age and cyst aspiration.

Patients are seen at the Hospital only with prior appointment. The first consultation is an assessment aimed at compiling a comprehensive medical history, examining the couple, and occasionally, scanning the female partner. Following the initial consultation, couples are advised about whether further investigations are necessary, and a management plan is formulated with the active participation of the couple. Couples are advised to bring all their previous reports in order to avoid repeating prior investigations.