Recently, in Chhindkalo village, Ambikapur district, Chhattisgarh, India, a death due to infertility treatment was recorded.
The man, Anand Yadav, 35, was found collapsed at his home and died after being rushed to the hospital. During the autopsy, doctors discovered a 20cm long chick stuck in the victim's throat.
Santu Bag, the doctor who performed the autopsy, speculated that the chick had obstructed both Yadav's airway and esophagus, leading to asphyxiation. Notably, the victim initially swallowed the chick while it was still alive.
After the incident, locals speculated that Yadav had swallowed the live chick to cure infertility. He and his wife had been married for many years but had no children, so they sought help from a tantrik.
Under his guidance, Yadav swallowed the chick as part of a fertility ritual. This led to his tragic death. The case is currently under investigation by the police, while his family has decided to remain silent.
This is not the first time India has recorded a death due to infertility treatment. In 2013, a 23-year-old female patient, J Harinaatchi, went to the private Parvatham Narayanaswamy Hospital in Kodambakkam, Tamil Nadu, India for treatment.
Harinaatchi and her husband had been married for a year and a half but were childless. They were referred to the fertility centre at Parvatham Narayanaswamy Hospital in Kodambakkam and have been undergoing treatment for the past three months.
Shortly after, Harinaatchi and her mother went to the hospital for IVF. While under anesthesia, the doctors kept her mother for several hours and asked her to buy some medicine because Harinaatchi's condition turned critical.
By 7pm that same day, the hospital announced that Harinaatchi had developed complications and did not have the advanced equipment needed to save her. She was then transferred to a private hospital in Vadapalani, where her family was informed that she had died three hours earlier.
Her family said she had no history of drug use. The incident prompted a police investigation.
Infertility treatment done improperly or at private facilities with insufficient reputation and modern technology is potentially dangerous. Experts advise infertile families to carefully research treatment methods and put their trust in the right place.
According to the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction, there were about 27.5 million infertile couples in India in 2018. Of these, male infertility accounted for 40-50%.
Factors such as stress, unhealthy lifestyle and environmental influences are the main causes of this condition, according to a report by The New Indian Express. Common infertility treatments include medications, surgery and in vitro fertilization (IVF).
