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fitness and well-being
Farah Khan with her kids
Anya, Czar and Diva
Anjali Shetty
Farah Khan leads the talk on
infertility with Merck’s ‘Parents of
Fertility’ initiative. She speaks to
Crème on the procedure and why
one should go in for it
Farah Khan, ace director, actor and choreographer recently
released a video on infertility. The video, a personal memoir of
Farah’s journey to parenthood is a vivid recollection of her fears,
challenges, doubts and ultimately her story of hope, belief and
positivity towards IVF that led her to become a mother. Merck
released this video as part of their ‘Parents of Fertility’ awareness initiative
that helps and supports couples in India through this journey of
parenthood. Farah Khan talks about her experience of going through IVF.
As a society, we still haven’t accepted IVF as
a whole. People still frown upon the idea.
What got you to embrace it?
I got married at the age of 40, and my husband, Shirish, and I were keen
to start a family soon. We tried for two years but had no success, which
got me worried. I did not think I would require any special help as my
gynaecologist then, seemed to think I would get pregnant naturally. It
was at a chance meeting with a friend of mine at someone’s party where
she gave me her doctor’s number. It was as if the universe had it all
planned from the beginning that I would meet an IVF expert. I was
pretty sure from day one that I wanted to have a family, taking the first
step was hard but it was one of the best decisions that I’ve made and my
doctor helped me through each step of the way. But I didn’t lose hope
and now I’m blessed with beautiful angels. We make society, it rests in
our able hands and minds, we are the components that make it
function as a unit, so the faster we adapt to changes the more we grow
as individuals and as a whole. I would have never let any frowns come
in the way of the smiles I am blessed with.
What is your advice to young/old couples
hoping to be parents?
My advice to all couples out there trying to conceive will be that,
infertility can be dealt with. Relatives will talk about a lot of things and
there will be weird suggestions. But please don’t waste time searching
for solutions outside the medical domain. It changed my life and could
change yours too. It’s about time you take that step.
Did you face any challenges while
undertaking the treatment?
Seeking treatment for infertility is challenging – emotionally and
physically. My first session with the doctor included a detailed history
and review of all my past treatments. The great part about it was that my
doctor was completely honest with me. In the same way, support from
your family and husband is of utmost importance. Shirish was with me
throughout the sessions, he even used to carry his laptop and work at
the IVF centre when I used to go for check-ups. It’s true that one needs
equal amounts of iron will and faith that the procedure will work. It will
be stressful and things may not always go your way. It thus becomes
important to have someone, family/husband/confidante to help you
during these tough times. When the doctor told me that I had
conceived, I knew right away that becoming a mother would add more
meaning to my life as I was happy when it came to my career.
What hAS been the best part of being
ASSociated with Merck?
It has been amazing partnering with Merck, a global leader in fertility.
They are always coming out with cause-driven initiatives intended to
reach out to the public at large, and this time the cause was close to my
heart. It gave me a chance to share my journey of hope with couples
seeking help to fulfil their dream of parenthood.
110 march 2017 www.crememagazine.in