Ever since we got married, my husband and I have both wanted children. But we had a lot going against us.
We were already in our mid-thirties when we got married. And early in our marriage, I suffered from a chronic back issue. So, fully aware that our biological clocks were ticking, we realised fairly early that our options were limited as we tried to conceive.
After a lot of research, we finally decided that in vitro fertilisation, or IVF, would be our best bet. We also found out that the journey was going to be long and challenging one, financially and physically.
Social stigmas attached to infertility can be a major hurdle for couples seeking IVF treatment. Even in today’s times, some view a couple having medical help to conceive as a personal failure. A lot of families still shy away from saying their kids were born through IVF and would rather keep the fact hush-hush, for the fear of judgment or criticism by the society.
I am, obviously, sharing this from my own personal experience, fully understanding that everyone's experiences and journeys with IVF will be different from mine.
Nikhil, my husband, and I decided early on that we would keep the decision to ourselves. Why worry our family and close friends? It would also allow us to avoid any explaining and questioning. We could always just tell everyone when we became pregnant … or so we thought.
However, after speaking to several doctors in the UAE and abroad, we decided to have the treatment in our native India. Immediately, this meant we had to amend our decision of keeping it quiet. The doctor we liked was located in Delhi, which is where my parents lived. So we made the decision to tell both our parents and to our surprise, received instant support from them – with almost no questions – which was amazing.
We would soon realise just how much we needed their support.
I took two weeks off from work and went to Delhi for the first cycle. I woke up one morning to see purple marks all over my stomach – a result of the injections I had started to take for the IVF treatment. It was a shock.
Telling our parents turned out to be the best thing we could have done. They were caring and supportive through the physically painful process, and especially when we found out the result of the first transfer was negative – the first of many.
When I started my IVF treatment – the first cycle was in 2015 – it was enlightening to see how people in the waiting area behaved at the regular clinic visits. While some would speak about their experiences, others sat with their faces hidden behind a magazine.
As we went through our second cycle, we decided to open up to our close relatives and friends. Not only did this allow us to be more social while going through another cycle, the support system we built also made the process easier. Sure, there were some who offered unhelpful suggestions but in general, contrary to our expectations, most people were extremely supportive.
We also decided to tell our respective managers at the time. Taking two to three weeks off regularly was not easy. And the process was taking a toll on me mentally as well, which was sometimes affecting my work. My manager was not only supportive but went out of the way to accommodate my last-minute requests for travel, while also allowing me to work remotely and keeping my workload light during the cycles.
Couples undergoing IVF treatment go through myriad emotions. I remember undergoing feelings of despair, anger, stress, anxiety, sadness, happiness, excitement and hope – sometimes all at the same time.
The stress of injecting yourself daily with hormones, going through scans, several cycles of egg retrievals and then, the final stage of embryo transfer, can take a toll on your body and mind. That said, the two-week wait after the transfer to see whether or not the embryo has implanted in your womb is the hardest part.
The only thing that should matter at the time of the treatment is how you can prepare yourself to handle the psychological impact of the treatment, not what people would say or think.
Two to three years into the process, I was on the verge of giving up. Taking flights every 15 to 20 days for procedures was taking its toll and I struggled to balance work and IVF. I have even taken a few of the trigger shots – the final and the most important injection before the embryo transfer – in an airplane washroom.
For the final cycle, we moved the treatments to Mumbai, where my in-laws live. Here again, having a support system while you are on this emotional rollercoaster ride was priceless.
Looking back, I can confidently say I had the will to go on and try again every single time only because I had the strong support of my husband and our families.
After five years of doing IVF runs (with a break year in between), it’s not the memories of taking those trigger shots in the airplane or the purple marks on my stomach that I hold dear, but how happy I felt when the doctor said: “Congratulations, you are having twins!”
Anya and Inaya were born in March 2020.
My husband and I speak openly about our IVF journey, in the hope that it will help and educate those who perhaps are considering a similar path but are reluctant to.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Stage 5 results
1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53
2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -
3 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott -
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:04
5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07
General Classification:
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04
2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48
5 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:11
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The biog
Name: Salvador Toriano Jr
Age: 59
From: Laguna, The Philippines
Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips
Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Continental champions
Best Asian Player: Massaki Todokoro (Japan)
Best European Player: Adam Wardzinski (Poland)
Best North & Central American Player: DJ Jackson (United States)
Best African Player: Walter Dos Santos (Angola)
Best Oceanian Player: Lee Ting (Australia)
Best South American Player: Gabriel De Sousa (Brazil)
Best Asian Federation: Saudi Jiu-Jitsu Federation
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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