For most of human history, infertility was not a medical diagnosis — it was more of a moral verdict. A woman’s womb was considered the only defect causing infertility. Especially countries in Asia like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh believe in various myths regarding infertility— children were considered as divine gifts and their absence was a symbol of punishment from God. There have been great advances in mindset and treatments of infertility through the ages.
Beginning from Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia (3000 – 400 BCE), infertility was considered a demonic curse on the couple who were not able to reproduce. Treatments like onion-pessaries were prescribed by the Egyptian papyri while Mesopotamians believed in incantations and herbal fumigations. Later Greece and Rome developed their own theories, including the concept of the ‘wandering womb.’ Aristotle argued that woman is merely ‘vessel’; man provides form in 400 BCE.
In 400-1500CE, the Islamic golden age, Ibn Sina challenged the prevailing view that infertility was solely a female issue, noting that men could be infertile too. His Canon of Medicine described semen quality and listed male causes of childlessness. This then continued to many arguments and different theories relating to different religions and spiritual concerns until the 19th Century where modern gynaecology was introduced.
The key milestones of the 19th Century includes:
In the early 20th century, the foundation of hormonal therapy was laid by the introduction of estrogen and progesterone in the 1920s-30s. A great achievement was made by the introduction of semen analysis as a diagnostic tool and the phrase of “male factor infertility” was made a part of clinical vocabulary. In 1944, Rock and Menkin fertilised a human egg in vitro for the first time, making it one of the most advanced research in the IVF— which is done on a regular basis in almost every country.
This led to medications for ovulation induction and other milestones of IVF revolution such as:
In 2010, the Nobel Prize was awarded to Robert Edwards for IVF and the first live birth after a uterine transplant took place in 2014. This took advances in fertility medicine to another level— making preimplantation genetic testing a routine check-up in many clinics.
This timeline of reproductive health treatments make us stand where we are today. A place where women are no longer termed as “barren” without proper investigations and cause. These treatments have changed the lives of many couples and given them new hope.
Even today, in the 21st century, most families blame women in Pakistan for being infertile and are unaware of the evolution of infertility treatment and believe in the historical causes of infertility. Therefore clinics like Njinsky IVF & Fertility Clinic are here to provide relevant information to everyone trying to understand the advancements in technology and fertility medicine along with the most accurate diagnosis and effective treatments. We offer the most advanced treatments and tests in our centre. From IVF to PGT testing to gender selections we are equipped with modern technology to help you achieve your desired outcome. We offer infertility treatments for all kinds of conditions in males and females. Female infertility treatments include medications of ovulation induction if opted for IVF, other treatments involved identifying the cause of infertility and providing an individualised treatment plan.
Male infertility treatment at Njinksy begins with an initial semen analysis and planning further treatment accordingly. The most recommended treatment for male factor infertility in cases of low sperm count is ICSI followed by IVF, having 50% of success rate. We help patients take the next step toward parenthood — because every family deserves that chance.
For most of human history, infertility was not a medical diagnosis — it was more of a moral verdict. A woman’s womb was considered the only defect causing infertility.
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Njinsky IVF & Fertility Centre
