Waiting too long to have a baby? Dr Hrishikesh Pai can help

Dr Hrishikesh Pai, a top gynecologist, was honoured to be on the interview panel of AapkiKhabarAapkaFayda show hosted by Mr Deepak Dobhal, Senior Anchor, of Zee Business channel. The show discussed various health issues associated with children due to delayed parenthood.

Dr Hrishikesh Pai is a leading IVF doctor in Mumbai, India, and the founder of Bloom IVF Clinic, one of the foremost chains of IVF clinics in India with a notable presence in nearly 9 Indian cities. 

Dr Pai is considered the pioneer of IVF treatment in India. As one of the most dynamic IVF specialists in India, he has adopted advanced assisted reproductive techniques and several AI-enabled procedures essential in IVF procedures for improving treatment outcomes. 

He shared the panel with Dr Shweta Mittal Gupta, Co-Director of Gynecology, at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, and Dr Rajiv Ranjan, Senior Pediatrician, at Motherhood Hospital. The show revolved around the topic of health-related problems of children born due to delay in going ahead with parenthood and what is the right age to plan/have children in considering today’s lifestyle.

While mentioning established studies and reports, he said it is a fact that children born to men aged 40 and above are likely to have autism, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder, and risk of cancer is higher as compared to children whose fathers are less than 30 years old. Such children can be born with cleft lips and other genetic deformities, a high risk of leukaemia and breast and brain cancer too. Hence, it is ideal for men to become fathers between 25 and 35 years. 

Similarly, children of older women are likely to suffer from genetic disability and other health complications. 

Agreeing with the panel’s views, Dr Hrishikesh Pai expressed his concerns over people delaying their parenthood journey. Responding to the host’s question ‘How safe is it to become a late parent, to become a father, to become a mother?‘, he said that becoming parents after 35 has a downside — especially after 40, which complicates matters greatly. He states women who become mothers after 40–45 years put their health at risk and children born are at a higher risk of suffering from claustrophobia, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, leukaemia, autism and so on.

He suggests women should opt for parenthood before they turn 35 and for men not beyond 40 years. Further, he explains the age gap between the parents and the child as a problematic factor. For instance, when the child is 50 years old, fatherhood means that when the child is 20 years old, the father will be 70 years old. This brings on the challenge of rearing the child in terms of higher school and college education while saving for retirement and old age.

This was not the case earlier, people were getting married early and faced these very challenges as they grew and matured with age. Currently, people want to secure themselves professionally and financially before proceeding to parenthood in the interest of their children. Such decisions affect the overall health of the parents and the children.

Dr Hrishikesh Pai states, ‘Ideally, women should embrace motherhood by 30 years and men should become fathers by 35 years. Further, we need to pay attention to the emotional and psychological maturity of the parents.  Taking a cue from the past, becoming parents during the late twenties and early thirties implies psychological and emotional maturity in them to a certain extent. Such parents are mature and confident of maintaining their work-life balance and relationships which can lead to a balanced parenthood and childhood experience.’

Elaborating on the legal aspects regarding age limits to availing IVF treatment, he states that the Indian government has restricted IVF treatment in males after they turn 55 years while in females, it is 50 years in India, while in France and some other countries, the cut-off age is 60 years.

Conclusion 

Dr Hrishikesh Pai states that though delayed parenthood is becoming a norm it is the awareness of its pros and cons that matters. Reflecting on three key aspects of it viz. reproductive quotient of males and females, emotional maturity, and legal restrictions to availing IVF treatments, he suggests people should seek egg freezing after 25 years if they wish to delay their parenthood. They should act in time to store their healthy eggs and sperm ensuring fewer complications later in their lives when they are ready to become parents.

Contact Dr. Hrishikesh Pai

Phone: +91 9871717305 / 8433732400 

Bloom Fertility Centre Lilavati Hospital,

Bandra (w) Mumbai - 400050

Email id: info@bloomivf.com

About Dr. Hrishikesh Pai

MD FRCOG (UK-HON) FCPS FICOG MSc (USA)

President – FOGSI
Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India, FOGSI
Regional Trustee Asia – Oceania
International Federation of Gynecology & Obstetrics, FIGO

Dr. Hrishikesh Pai is the founder and medical director of Bloom IVF Clinic for over three decades. With a 75% success rate for IVF treatment on average, He has treated more than 20,000 patients globally including celebrities

He is an accomplished IVF specialist credited to the first gynaecologist to introduce assisted Laser hatching and blastocyst culture, oocyte freezing, ICSI injection, embryoscope, genetic testing, and other advancing technologies in IVF treatment in India.

This is an advertorial. The published article is being presented as received.