Guide to safe and transparent IVF: Know all about the ART Act and overcome infertility with legal protection

In vitro fertilisation or IVF gives hope to couples who want to experience the joy of becoming parents with a healthy baby and the ART Act is designed to ensure that your emotional journey through IVF is safe, ethical and transparent to avoid further complications. To help clear your doubts, we have roped in an expert to tell you more about the ART Act and how it protects you at every stage of your fertility treatment.

Protecting your IVF journey:

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Bharti Dhorepatil, Consultant Infertility Expert at Nova IVF Fertility, Pune, said, “Couples often face difficulty conceiving naturally due to a variety of reasons. These include late pregnancy planning, lifestyle choices, obesity, excessive smoking or drinking, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), low sperm count and quality, slow sperm motility, blockage in the fallopian tubes, uterine fibroids, irregular menstrual cycles, immune issues, cystic fibrosis, semen leakage and varicocele.”

Noting that IVF can be life-changing for couples who want to experience the joy of becoming parents, Dr Bharti Dhorepatil explains, “Undergoing IVF treatment can be emotionally exhausting but the positive outcome of becoming parents to a healthy baby makes it worthwhile. IVF is a type of assisted reproductive technology (ART) that involves mixing eggs and sperm outside the uterus in a laboratory dish. Later the fertilised eggs, also called embryos, are implanted in the uterus to develop into fetuses. This can take about two to three weeks and involves several procedures and steps such as ovulation induction, egg retrieval, sperm collection, fertilisation, embryo development, embryo transfer, luteal phase and finally pregnancy testing.”

What is the ART Act?

Dr. Bharti Dhorepatil answered –

• The Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Act is a law that regulates the use of medical treatments such as IVF (in vitro fertilization) to help people conceive. The primary goal of this law is to ensure that these procedures are performed under safe and ethical conditions. It also helps to ensure that it is easily accessible to everyone, regardless of geographical location.
• The clinics and sperm/egg banks offering these procedures must strictly follow the rules and regulations mentioned in this act to ensure safety and maintain the quality standard of the services provided. They must be registered under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
• It also emphasizes punishment for those who practice homosexual choice or attempt to unethically sell human embryos or gametes.
• As per the Act, the eligibility criteria to undergo the IVF procedure is 21 to 50 years for women and 26 to 55 years for men. These age limits have been specifically decided after considering factors such as decline in fertility with age and health conditions.
• ART treatments in India include IVF (in vitro fertilization), ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) and donor assistance. These treatments are legal and easily available for couples actively seeking solutions to overcome infertility.