Dr Indira Ganeshan

26/11/2025

Genetic start up in NYC has these advertisement across which got me thinking and it seems not so right in many levels.

Most IVF couples come seeking help for medical reason for them, IVF is not a choice but a treatment.
Promising “taller, smarter, enhanced babies” reframes IVF as a tool for genetic superiority, not a support system for medical need.

This creates a dangerous two-tier narrative:
• IVF for fixing a problem
• IVF+ for building an upgraded child

That is a slippery slope to genetic consumerism.It exploits vulnerability

Infertility is emotionally loaded.People in this state:
already fear “passing on a defect,”worry about embryo quality,feel guilty about genetics they cannot control.
When a company says:

“Have your best baby—give your child the best genetics”

It indirectly implies:Your embryos are not best quality unless you pay more.Your future child may be at a disadvantage.
This is actually exploitation disguised as empowerment.

It ignores the realities of IVF: the slogan
“Upgrade your baby’s potential can be disastrous but what if the couple can’t generate embryos to “choose from”?
It may leads to anxiety ,shame,guilt ,feeling “inadequate”,feeling they are letting their future child down
And all this before the child even exists.

Importantly It promotes a eugenic mindset (soft eugenics)
Terms like:
• “best baby”
• “best genetics”
• “giving your child an advantage in the race”

…shift parenting from nurture to genetic competitiveness.

A dangerous idea begins to form that children are products and embryos can be upgraded and parents should optimize traits
,natural variation is inferior
,disability is avoidable or undesirable

This is not family-building.
This is commercialized eugenics.
It undermines the truth: parenting excellence is built, not bought

A child’s future is shaped overwhelmingly by Nurturing and Genetics gives a baseline.
Parenting gives direction.

No company selling “genetic optimization” talks about this as nurturing isn’t monetizable.

22/11/2025

MENOPAUSE HRT PATCH

What is it?
A twice-weekly skin patch that releases:
• Estrogen (17β-oestradiol) helps reduce hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, sleep issues, and vaginal dryness
• Progesterone (norethisterone) protects the uterus and makes HRT safe for women who still have their womb

Why choose the patch?
Easy to use
Steady hormone release
Fewer ups and downs in symptoms
Suitable if you prefer patches over tablets
Two strength options for personalised care

Available strengths:
• 30 mcg estrogen + 95 mcg progesterone
• 40 mcg estrogen + 130 mcg progesterone

Talk to your doctor to see if this new patch is the right fit for your menopause journey.

21/11/2025

EGG FREEZING Isn’t ‘Freedom’… Timely Motherhood Is.”

We talk about egg freezing as if it’s a passport to endless choices .
the truth is more complex.

Because with every frozen egg comes a very real weight of the financial cost, the emotional cost, and the pressure of an unfinished chapter sitting on your shoulder.

You freeze today in the hope of a family tomorrow
but is the tomorrow guaranteed?
Does every frozen egg becomes a baby? Not every plan unfolds the way we imagined.
Is motherhood just about having a baby? Will the women have
physical energy, emotional bandwidth, and health to raise one.
The later we shift pregnancy, the more we walk into higher risks of hypertension, diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and complications that younger bodies handle more gracefully.
Egg freezing can buy time.
But it cannot buy back youth, ovarian quality, or the stamina needed to nurture a growing child.

Real empowerment lies in timely choices, not delayed decisions and In understanding your fertility before it becomes a crisis.
In planning motherhood when your body, mind, and biology still align with your dreams.

Egg freezing is Plan B.
Timely motherhood is the real freedom.

16/11/2025

Nintai & Womanhood — A Fertility Metaphor

From the Fertility Desk of Dr. Indira Ganeshan

忍 (nin) = to endure, to tolerate, to restrain oneself
耐 (tai) = to withstand, to be resilient

Nintai — the art of enduring without losing the softness of your heart.”

In fertility, a woman practices a kind of strength the world rarely sees.
The Japanese call it nintai -the art of enduring with grace.

It is the quiet courage of showing up for yet another cycle.
The patience of waiting for a line to darken.
The steadiness of holding hope in one hand and disappointment in the other.

A woman’s nintai is like the soil before spring -
still, deep, and endlessly forgiving,
opening itself again and again to possibility.

It is like the tide, retreating when the body needs rest,
returning with renewed courage.
Or like the chrysalis, transforming silently while the world rushes past.

Nintai does not mean she is unhurt.
It means she continues.
Soft, steady, resilient.

And often, it is this very nintai - this patient, quiet endurance -
that becomes the bridge between longing and new life.

12/11/2025

Endometriosis doesn’t just cause “bad periods” it silently chips away at a woman’s energy, focus, and sometimes, her dreams. For women in demanding corporate roles, the pain often hides behind a brave smile and quiet endurance. Yet, this condition can also affect fertility over time.

If you’re delaying motherhood, fertility preservation can be a wise step protecting your future while you focus on your present. For those needing hormonal treatments that suppress periods, having your eggs preserved offers peace of mind and flexibility.

Corporate wellness must move beyond surface level health talks.
let’s bring real conversations about menstrual and reproductive health to the table.

10/11/2025

Menopause: The silence in our society

The Voice She Needs

She doesn’t need pity. She needs understanding.
She doesn’t need silence. She needs conversation.
She doesn’t need to “cope.” She needs to be supported.

That’s why I’m here.
As a doctor trained to understand this phase not just in hormones, but in humanity.
Because menopause isn’t a disease. It’s a transition one that deserves respect, empathy, and scientific care.

Let’s stop expecting women to walk this road alone.
Let’s talk about the fatigue, the insomnia, the tears that come without reason.
Let’s talk about the fear of aging, the loss of confidence, the forgotten friendships.
Let’s rebuild the connection with ourselves, and with each other.

Menopause is not an ending.
It’s an awakening to a new phase of wisdom, strength, and clarity.
But it begins with awareness. It begins with compassion.
It begins when we finally start to see her.

So, if you’re reading this ,whether you’re a woman in transition, or a man who loves one .
come, let’s talk.
Let’s walk this journey together to find the confidence that’s been shaken, and the woman who’s still very much there, waiting to be seen again.

07/11/2025

“Life isn’t waiting on the other side it’s happening right now.”

One of my patients came to see me after years of infertility …eight long years of waiting, hoping, praying.
She finally had her baby through IVF a beautiful little boy. But he was colicky, crying all night in discomfort.
She looked at us with tears in her eyes and said,
“For eight years I thought once I held my baby, I’d never cry again and now I cry every day with him.”

That stayed with me. Because it’s true life is funny that way. We chase our dreams believing joy lies on the other side. But when the wish is granted, we see its hidden layers its struggles, its imperfections, its reality.

Parenthood isn’t picture-perfect. It’s love that tests your patience, drains your energy, yet fills your heart in ways you can’t explain.
From sleepless nights to scraped knees, from teenage heartbreaks to adult worries every phase stretches your heart a little more.

There’s no “happily ever after.” There’s only “here and now” where life, in all its chaos and beauty, is quietly unfolding.

So, to all waiting hearts don’t pause your happiness. Don’t wait for something to happen to start living.
Because happiness isn’t waiting on the other side it’s right here, in the waiting, in the hoping, in the loving.

“You wished for this chaos once now it’s your kind of beautiful.”

06/11/2025

Just like life, embryos too grow at their own pace some bloom early, some take their time to hatch.
Every stage is a promise of possibility …a tiny universe forming cell by cell.

28/10/2025

28/10/2025

Fertilo
What are the limitations / what we should be cautious about

In academic, critical tone:
• Early data only This is a very new technology. While a live birth has been reported, large-scale clinical trials, long-term follow-up (offspring outcomes), and comparative effectiveness versus standard IVF are still limited. 
• Regulatory/ethical matters :Use of stem-cell derived support cells (iPSCs) for human reproductive applications brings heightened regulatory scrutiny and long-term safety questions. 
Not a universal solution . It’s not clear that Fertilo will work for all types of infertility or in all patient populations (e.g., very poor ovarian reserve, severe male factor, uterine issues). It doesn’t replace all aspects of IVF like oocyte retrieval, fertilisation, embryo transfer still needed. 
• Cost/availability Novel biotech often comes with higher cost and limited geographic availability at first. It may not yet be widely accessible in India
• Outcome vs hype As one review cautions:
“While promising … it’s important not to see this as a revolutionary cure all for infertility.” 
• Maturation in vitro additional steps & unknowns .
In vitro maturation (IVM) has been explored for decades with mixed success; introducing engineered support cells adds complexity. The “real world” performance may differ from early reports.

27/10/2025

IVF: When Progress Leaves People Behind

Every day, I meet couples and women who walk into my clinic carrying equal parts hope and fear.
They’ve read about IVF success rates crossing 50% ,60%,70%….a remarkable leap from the under 10% we saw in the earlier days.They come believing that modern science can help them, and in most cases, it truly can.

We’ve made extraordinary progress in ART,
Smarter stimulation protocols,Better embryo freezing,Genetic testing. AI-based selection.

The science today is extraordinary !it’s precise, intelligent, and deeply human.

And yet… one thing hasn’t changed much …. the cost.

IVF remains out of reach for far too many people who need it. Each new advancement though scientifically brilliant adds another layer of expense.

The industry has few incentives to bring the costs down.
So while the science has evolved to include everyone, the economics quietly exclude many.

Behind every success story we celebrate lies another one that goes untold —of the couple who ran out of savings after one attempt, or the woman who delayed too long because she couldn’t afford treatment sooner.

As a fertility specialist, this troubles me deeply.
Because true progress isn’t just about higher success rates. It’s about access .ensuring that every person who dreams of having a child gets a fair chance to try.

The next revolution in IVF won’t be about smarter embryos or faster results.
It will be about accessibility, affordability, and empathy.
That’s the kind of future reproductive medicine deserves.

27/10/2025

Fertilo is a fertility treatment technology developed by Gameto that uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to mature eggs outside the body, creating a safer and faster alternative to traditional IVF. It replaces about 80% of the hormone injections required in conventional IVF and shortens the treatment cycle to 2-3 days. This method has been used in the first live birth conceived using stem cell technology to mature eggs, and it aims to make fertility treatments more accessible by reducing physical strain, side effects, and the risk of complications like ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome