Asha Hussain was told she had one percent chance of conceiving a baby naturally. It was simply said, but the magnitude of the emotional impact of those two words were cutting for the founder of Fertility Support Community (FSC).
Diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, PCOS, Asha’s chances of getting pregnant went drastically down. The couple went to Sri-Lanka to see a fertility specialist as there was none in the Maldives at the time. When her options narrowed to IVF treatment, the couple’s next three years were spent in an emotional flurry of treatment plans, tests and patience. It was hard to fathom how demanding it can be, physically, emotionally and financially. To cope with her journey she documented her IVF battles on Instagram as her personal diary. In her words, she felt excluded.
The couple is currently blessed with Yuhana, aged 3 and half years. Becoming a mother, Asha got the courage to be more vulnerable and made her account public. She started getting a stream of inquiries from women struggling with infertility.
From what started as peer to peer support sessions, Fertility Support Community was born in 2020 with 99 percent women at the helm. They talked about their struggles, miscarriages, still birth, treatment paths, misdiagnosis, unavailability of medicine and the inexplicable pain of infertility. They made a discovery that was both terrifying and exhilarating, and instantly they joined together as a community, serving as a beacon of hope for women across the island nation.
"We had a 2-hour long session with 16 girls that opened our eyes. We talked about struggles. There were tears. We talked about miscarriages, still birth, treatment paths, misdiagnosis, & unavailability of medicine".
— 🍍asha_hussain (@asha_hussain_) November 3, 2022
Full speech 👇https://t.co/I8pPgsfz7m pic.twitter.com/AmtzoVKzH7
When Faiha was 14 years old, she had to have one of her ovaries removed. A cyst was found on her remaining ovary. The doctors' advice to marry early was the last thing a 15-year-old wanted to hear. For IVF treatment, chances of her getting a healthy embryo was 1 percent. However, doctors were able to extract more healthier ones and November 2021 was scheduled for the embryo transfer.
A chance examination in October 2021 revealed that she had thyroid cancer. It was a downward spiral for the couple and they felt that they only had each other to lean on. She went through the treatment and while there are no signs of cancer, the couple has to wait till they can be cleared to go for IVF.
Faiha’s message to society was simple but powerful; ‘"Don’t ask people when they are going to have babies. Some people don't want babies at all and some cannot have them and that is their choice and situation, and if they don't choose to tell you, you don't need to know. It's something society needs to unlearn because it is very offensive and hurtful at times."
There were other moving stories shared of infertility journey’s from members of FSC at the event dubbed "A night of Hope". Each story was different and each story was emotionally binding but what lingered was the courage all of the women continued to show, without giving up.
"A Night of Hope", the first gala event of its kind in the Maldives was held on November 2 on the occasion of World Fertility Day. The funds earned will be used to support FSC operations and the IVF Fund, which will assist a couple who require financial support to receive assisted reproductive services, such as IVF, abroad.
The IVF fund was launched with the objective to fund a couple annually for IVF treatment which can be taxing, both emotionally and financially for couples going through it. An MOU was signed between Yaami Fertility and IVF Centre’s Infertility Specialist Dr. Sankalp Singh and Asha, to fund IVF treatment for two more couples that meet the criteria.
Speaking at the ceremony Dr. Sankalp urged policy makers and dignitaries to modify certain aspects of the treatment in terms of how a diagnosis is made, how a treatment plan is created and how to go ahead with the treatment. He highlighted the importance of mental support needed for the stressful times endured from a medical perspective.
India's Deputy High Commissioner to Maldives, Pooja Tillu congratulated FSC and commented that it was a "laudable initiative" taken to support Maldivian couples in need.
"A Night of Hope" is a crucial first step towards changing the stigma around infertility. The community is becoming more aware and the conversations around infertility issues are being addressed more openly. Asha concluded, "We need research and data. We need support to help us raise awareness of common causes of infertility and early, correct diagnostics. We need proper treatment paths and policies to protect service providers and patient rights."
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