In today’s busy world, where excess stress, poor diet and unhealthy lifestyles seem to be prevalent, it is little wonder that some couples struggle to fall pregnant, especially considering that many now choose to have children later in life. There are also a number of medical conditions that pose a barrier to conception, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis or male factor infertility.
A new holistic fertility clinic that will be opening at Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital in Cape Town on 22 October 2013 promises to bring hope to many disheartened couples by addressing, in an integrated way, the various issues faced by couples who have difficulty conceiving.
“The Holistic Assisted Reproduction Treatment (HART) Fertility Clinic is a multi-disciplinary fertility clinic offering patient-centred, individualised treatment plans that incorporate psychological wellbeing, a healthy lifestyle and integrated healthcare, while maintaining best-practice evidence-based clinical treatment,” explains Dr Sascha Edelstein, a leading Cape Town fertility specialist, obstetrician and gynaecologist and head of the HART Fertility Clinic.
The clinic offers couples comprehensive services to optimise their chances of conceiving. Other than Dr Edelstein, the HART Fertility Clinic has an embryologist, an infertility counselor and a dietician. It even offers the expertise of an acupuncturist, as many medical studies have shown that acupuncture during fertility treatment improves the chances of conception. “Our philosophy is that there are many aspects other than the medical side, which need to be considered when a couple has difficulty falling pregnant,” says Dr Edelstein. HART also has an IVF laboratory, a state-of-the-art andrology laboratory, which focuses on male infertility, and a fully equipped theatre for on-site procedures.
“When couples come to us it is likely that the emotional aspect of not being able to conceive has already taken a toll on them and this is why counselling is so important. In addition, there are many other aspects such as age, diet, weight, lifestyle and general health which influence a woman’s reproductive potential,” continues Dr Edelstein.
Dr Edelstein himself has experienced firsthand the distress a couple goes through when the woman struggles to fall pregnant, as he and his wife opted for assisted reproduction when they could not conceive. He is thus familiar with the physical, emotional and financial hurdles that couples have to be overcome when opting for assisted reproduction.
Dr Edelstein adds, “We truly believe that every patient has the right be to treated as an individual and not a number. There is no one, blanket solution to an assisted reproduction plan as everyone is different and every case is unique. This is why we advocate individualised treatment plans which answer to the physical, psychological, financial and medical needs of each patient. As a small practice, we are able to give that personal attention while at the same time offering a sophisticated medical approach.”
Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital is the first Netcare hospital in Cape Town to have a dedicated fertility clinic. “We are extremely proud to have a facility which offers the very best in holistic assisted reproduction. Dr Edelstein and his team will be giving many couples hope and support in what can be a difficult and trying process,” says Chris Tilney, general manager at Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital.
For more information go to www.hartcapetown.co.za, phone 021 424 0670 or email [email protected].
HART Fertility Clinic Launch
Date: Tuesday, 22 October
Time: 6 pm
Place: Ground Floor, Christiaan Barnard Chambers, Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital, 87 Loop Street, Cape Town
RSVP: Michelle Norris, marketing manager at Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital
([email protected] or 021 480 6125)
Ends
Issued by : Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA) on behalf of Netcare
Contact : Martina Nicholson, Sarah Beswick or Graeme Swinney
Telephone : (011) 469 3016
Email : [email protected], [email protected], or graeme@mn