CCapable, confident and compassionate -- Dr Zaib Shafi and Dr Una Conway make up half of the medical team in Knocknacarra based fertility clinic ReproMed, which has been helping the people of Galway to take control of their fertility for more than a decade.
With a presence in Galway since the mid-90s the clinic, formerly operated under the name Galway Fertility Unit, joined ReproMed in 2015. Since then, it has helped to build the next generation of Galwegians by aiding thousands of heterosexual couples, same sex couples and single women to conceive with In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF ), Intrauterine insemination (IUI ) as well as measures to protect and ensure conception in the future with procedures like egg freezing. ReproMed Galway is the only clinic based in the west of Ireland that has a full IVF laboratory.
Doctors, Una Conway and Zaib Shafi, are the women of ReproMed who have played a guiding hand in the creating families all over the country that all have one commonality, ReproMed. Both have extensive experience in fertility, with decades of practice under their belts and having earned a stellar reputation for their work with couples and single people hoping to conceive or preserve their fertility.
Dr Zaib Shafi
Dr Shafi's path to becoming a respected fertility doctor in Galway has been a busy one. Having graduated from an elite medical college in her native Pakistan, Dr Shafi moved to Ireland with her husband, who also is in the medical field. As is common with doctors in Ireland, Dr Shafi and her family have lived in many areas across the country, but it wasn't long before she fell in love with Galway, becoming permanently based in the city in 2010. Years of hard-earned education and a warm, welcoming personality make Dr Shafi a brilliant specialist when it comes to navigating fertility.
"I'm very human and I like to develop bonds with my patients and try to feel and understand their pain and give them the best kind of care. For me, it's important that I am an ethical doctor as well as a woman and a mother, all of which helps me to empathise with people who are trying to become parents and to understand how they feel."
An adopted Galwegian, Dr Shafi has helped couples and single people to become parents with ReproMed for more than 13 years and will continue to do so for as long as she is able to, ensuring that the journey of fertility is as accessible and understandable as possible. Occasionally, given that Galway is such a small city, Dr Shafi will run into former patients who are now parents thanks to her, something she says is amazing.
"It's always so amazing, because I think of the fact that that little egg and sperm has created this child and sometimes, I come across patients who introduce me to their children and it's just amazing, they are literally growing in front of me."
Today's technology means that egg reserve can be determined through a very simple test called an Anti-Müllerian Hormone test, while the test may not indicate egg quality, it can give an indicator of how many eggs a woman has to the point that it can even be used to determine time until menopause. While many may recognise fertility abbreviations like IVF, an AMH test is still largely unknown by many future parents, despite how useful it can be.
"The most common question I get is, 'how can I get pregnant' and the second most common question comes following bad news, 'Is there anything I can do to fix it?', or 'Is there any way to increase my AMH?' which can put us under a lot of pressure as we can kind of modify it but nothing is going to fix the clock or turn back time.
"There are cases where the AMH is very low and I can feel the frustration from people doing multiple cycles and not getting pregnant but I just give them reassurance and be empathetic and try not to give them false hope. I am a very factual person and I am very honest, in those cases I always say 'this is the reality, but this is what we can do."
When it comes to egg freezing, Dr Shafi says that there has been a marked uptake in patients coming forward to freeze their eggs, something that seems to be popular especially among those with career ambitions where a pregnancy in their 20s and 30s could potentially affect their dreams.
"The modern day is such a competitive society, one where you need your own house, car and stable job. If you don't have those things then egg freezing is an option, if you are in a stable relationship, then embryo banking could be the way for you and your fertility and your family is preserved and by the time you are in position and have your own house and car, then you can use these to have your children.
"It helps people to keep their chances to be parents."
Dr Una Conway
Senior fertility specialist with ReproMed, Dr Una Conway, works both in the clinic and as Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist is Galway University Hospital since 2007, she is a familiar figure to the city, having played an integral hand in the conception and the delivery of thousands of babies in the West of Ireland. The only consultant doctor in ReproMed, Dr Conway covers all ground, from the very early stages of an IUI or IVF all the way to helping to bring the child into the world. Even after countless deliveries, Dr Conway says that the rewarding element of a delivery and successful pregnancy is something she will never take for granted.
"It's brilliant and I would never take it for granted. Often with patients and where I have delivered their babies, I will say to them, God wouldn't it be great if we could just send a memo back to yourself the first time, we met that says 'hang in there, keep going'. It is a privilege to be in that position.
"Sometimes though, things don't work despite everything you try and those patients will say to us, 'Look I know you have done everything you can and we are very grateful and for the care we have received and everyone was very kind and professional' and there is no price on kindness and it's important to us that we give people time and individualised care.
"We are definitely a community here and I think patients coming into ReproMed get a kind of boutique experience whereas in a very big clinic, you might not get that and patients need to feel like they're being heard and not just a number, which I have had patients explain to me how bigger clinics made them feel that way. This is the most important decision and journey they have ever gone on in their lives and people need to know that they are being individually cared for and that everyone has their best interests at heart."
A large part of the allure for patients of ReproMed is the location. While there is a misconception that in order to receive fertility treatment you must travel to Dublin, ReproMed's location in Brooklawn House Galway West Business park, Rahoon, is easy to access and offers plenty of options and availability for anyone at any stage of their fertility journey.
When it comes to advice for future parents, both Drs Conway and Shafi agree that lifestyle plays a huge part in ensuring that you have the right conditions to conceive or procreate, from diet and exercise to reducing stress.
"Working on a healthy lifestyle, or trying to be as healthy as you can, is very important. We can only work with what people give us so it's really important to try to be as healthy as you can so we can clearly see what is not is working and things like mental health are very important especially coming into fertility treatment. When you feel like you're in control and your body is healthy and your mind is healthy, the process is so much easier."
Taking control of your fertility
While Drs Conway and Shafi are exceptional at what they do, they make up half of the fertility specialist team at ReproMed, alongside Dr Ehab Abu Marar and Dr Ernesto Vázquez Hidalgo, the team have helped patients to take control of their fertility and build a future some had only dreamed of.
Clinic manager, Fiona Toal, who has experience working as an embryologist as well as a lab manager, says that it is a privilege to work alongside the medical team in ReproMed Galway.
"The team are so passionate about what they do and about the decisions they make for their patients each day.
"It's important that women and couples know of every avenue available to them to start a family and that our doctors are there to support them with those decisions.”
With four fertility experts, a highly trained nursing team and experienced lab staff, the team at ReproMed offer only the best when it comes to fertile health while maintaining dignity, respect, control and the best possible choices for you.
If you have been thinking about your fertility, be it in a relationship or on your own, reach out to the team at ReproMed Galway at (091 ) 515 600, or via their website www.repromed.ie
