The journey of 'finding a child' of an ethnic minority couple

Many infertile couples in difficult circumstances have not achieved their dream of becoming parents due to economic barriers - Illustration photo: BVCC

Cost becomes a barrier

Married since 2016, Mr. Phung Van Ba ​​and Ms. H Dla Buon Ya longed to have children every day. But after many years, there was still no sign, so they went to the doctor and discovered that the reason for the delay was that the husband was infertile. At that moment, everything seemed to collapse before the man's eyes with invisible pressure.

Mr. Ba sadly recounted that he and his wife had taken many traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicines but still could not have children. When he went to the local doctor, he was told that he was infertile and had to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF).

"When I heard about the amount of money I had to spend, I thought a lot. The salary of a worker is low, my husband and I got married and lived in rented houses, saving every penny, even asking for free food, so we don't know when we will be able to save money for IVF. The cost of treatment is too high compared to our financial capacity, so we had to put aside our desire to have children," Mr. Ba confided.

While Mr. Ba was overwhelmed with guilt over not being able to fulfill his responsibility as the only son, shouldering the pressure of having children to "continue the family line", Ms. H Dla Buôn Ya also had to brace herself against the malicious and slanderous words from those around her.

In 2022, while searching for information, Mr. Ba learned about the "Golden Week - Nurturing Happiness" program of Hanoi Andrology and Infertility Hospital, a free support program for infertile couples.

At the hospital, after examination, the couple had a glimmer of hope when the doctors determined that he only had a blocked vas deferens.

Following the doctor's instructions, Mr. Ba boldly applied for the hospital's 100% free IVF program for families in especially difficult circumstances, and luckily he and his wife were blessed.

In the first IVF, the couple had good news right away.

In October 2022, Ya began the embryo transfer process. After 14 days of embryo transfer, the doctor announced that the pregnancy was successful. A week later, the first ultrasound images showed two little creatures gradually forming in Ya's body. In June 2023, the couple's two little angels were born healthy.

Accompanying infertile couples

According to statistics from the World Health Organization, Vietnam is one of the countries with the highest infertility rate in the world, with 50% of cases occurring in people under 30 years old. Out of every 100 people of reproductive age, 7-8 are facing infertility.

However, reality shows that not everyone has the financial means to embark on the treatment journey - a journey that is both long and costly.

An in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle costs between VND70-100 million, not including testing costs, medication costs and other technical interventions. This means that most couples have to pay for it themselves.

Dr. Le Thi Thu Hien, professional director of the Hanoi Andrology and Infertility Hospital, said that in reality, doctors have found that financial pressure, psychological fear and lack of knowledge about reproductive health cause many couples to delay examinations, missing the golden period in infertility treatment.

Therefore, from 2015 to now, the hospital has organized the program "Golden Week - Nurturing Happiness" with many preferential examinations, so that people can access modern medical techniques, know the causes of infertility, thereby receiving timely treatment and getting closer to the dream of becoming a father and mother.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hanh-trinh-tim-con-cua-vo-chong-nguoi-dan-toc-thieu-so-20250511094426575.htm