OVER 100 BABIES BORN IN ARMENIA AS RESULT OF INSEMINATION OUTSIDE
MOTHER’S BODY

YEREVAn, MARCH 26, NOYAN TAPAN. Yerevan’s Scientific Research Center
on Health Care of Mother and Child is the only one in Armenia where
insemination outside the mother’s body is done. Karen Jinanian, Head
of the Laboratory Diagnostic Unit of the center, told NT correspondent
about it. According to him, this field of medical science has been
established in Armenia and it is not inferior to those in other
countries: 100-200 inseminations outside the mother’s body is done in
the country annually, with efficency making up 25-40% as throughout
the world. K. Jinanian said that two programs on insemination outside
the mother’s body are currently being implemented at the center. The
first program, which has been implemented since 2002, aims to
eliminate problems related to fertility of women. By the way, the
first 3 babies were born under this program in February 2003. The
second program implemented since 2006 aims to overcome men’s problems
related to fertility. The first baby with the use of this method was
born in Armenia recently – on February 8. On the whole, until now over
100 babies have been born in Armenia as a result of insemination
outside the mother’s body. In the words of K. Jinanian, these children
do not differ in anything from other children born in the natural
way. He explained that insemination outside the mother’s body ensures
genetic heredity. "This allows Armenian men to be more confident and
bold as no donor sperm is used in this case," the laboratory head
said. An insemination outside the mother’s body done at the center
costs 700-1,000 dollars, whereas, for example, it costs 25 thousand
dollars in the US. K. Jinanian pointed out that in addition to
Armenian citizens, those from other countries: the US, Russia, Georgia
have applied to the center. According to the RA Ministry of Health, no
official statistics on sterility of women of reprodictive age exist in
Armenia. According to the same source, 3.4% of women examined in 1998
had primary sterility, and about 28.5% – secondary sterility.