Couples who present with infertility could have challenges with the male or female reproductive system. In some cases, both couples have challenges preventing them from getting pregnant.

In our facility we offer the following services:

• Intra-uterine Insemination [IUI]
• In-Vitro Fertilization [IVF]
• Intra-cytoplasmic Sperm Insemination [ICSI]
• Surrogacy
• Sperm and Egg donation program
• Sperm, egg and embryo freezing program
• Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis [PGD]

NILE VALLEY HOSPITAL [NVH] IVF

The NVH IVF Center is available for consultation and fertility treatments to enable you to have your baby.

Our team of IVF doctors, nurses and embryologists are ready to serve you and help you achieve your dream of having your baby. Your management will begin with an assessment of you and your partner to determine where the problem lies and what modality of treatment will be best for you.

We encourage couples to wait for one year before seeking treatment; however, if you’re more than 35 years or you have had fertility challenges in the past then you may seek help earlier.

Couples are encouraged to come together especially at the first consultation to assist us to carry out a risk assessment and counselling. From our experience, when couples work as a team the road to having a baby is easier and both couples feel a sense of satisfaction.

Our Obstetrics department provides specialized preconception care for women planning a pregnancy and this care continues when they get pregnant, till delivery and 6 weeks after. We take pride in ensuring our women and fetuses are healthy during the process of their pregnancy and that women remain pain-free during labour.

The Gynecology department offers care to women with a wide range of conditions from bleeding challenges, fibroids, ovarian cyst and other conditions peculiar to women.

OBSTETRICS

PRECONCEPTION CARE

We organize care for couples before they get pregnant to ensure couples plan their pregnancy and ensure both mother and baby remain healthy during the period of pregnancy, thus, increasing the chances of safe delivery of a healthy baby. Many of the potential health challenges women face in pregnancy occur before pregnancy.

Women are encouraged to take folic acid 12 weeks before getting pregnant to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in the developing fetus. Preconception care offers us the unique opportunity to discuss these risk factors with you to minimize their effect on your pregnancy.

Some of these health challenges include Diabetes, Asthma, HIV/AIDS, Hypertension, Cardiac Disease, etc. Women are counselled to stop smoking, quit alcohol consumption and lose weight, if obese. These actions are known to improve the chances of a healthy pregnancy.

ANTENATAL CARE

Also called prenatal care, this is organized care for pregnant women in which regular check-ups are provided by our doctors or midwives to treat and prevent potential health problems throughout the pregnancy and to promote healthy lifestyles that benefit both mother and child.

We encourage women to register for antenatal care when the pregnancy is about 12 weeks. Women with challenges in previous pregnancies are encouraged to see their obstetrician for regular check-ups before registering to ensure both mother and fetus are doing well.

We offer services for women who have had challenges in pregnancies in the past [high-risk cases] and those with no prior pregnancy challenges [low-risk cases].

POSTNATAL CARE

After the delivery of a baby, the mother and baby need close monitoring for the first six weeks to detect any danger signs that may occur. This first six-week post-delivery is a critical phase in the lives of mothers and newborn babies.

Women may develop hypertension for the first time during this period, may have bleeding disorders, or infection. Some of these conditions may be life-threatening and require early detection and quick intervention. However, the majority of our women may have no health challenges post-delivery.

GYNAECOLOGY

GENERAL GYNAECOLOGY

Our gynaecological clinic handles cases ranging from:

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding
• Vaginal discharge
• Pelvic pains
• Ovarian cysts
• Uterine fibroids

Other services include early gynaecological cancer detection for women and treatment for precancer lesions among others.

POSTMENOPAUSAL CARE

Menopause is a period that marks the end of a woman’s reproductive career. Most women become aware of this when they stop menstruating for at least 12 months. Most women undergo menopause from age 48 – 51 years. However, in some women, it may occur much earlier.

The menopausal period presents peculiar challenges such as heat flushes, mood swings, vaginal dryness, memory loss, etc. This phase of life may also increase the risk of health challenges in women such as hypertension, heart disorders, bone fracture, and some cancers.

Our post menopause clinic ensures you go through this interesting stage of life smoothly.

NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT [NICU]

Our NICU has a full team of specialist doctors and neonatal pediatric nurses with state of the art medical equipment to manage newborn and neonates with challenges.  We are equipped with 3 incubators and 2 ventilators to serve our clients.

Your baby may be admitted into the NICU for the following reasons:

1. Prematurity or preterm.

Babies who are born before they are 37 completed weeks may need NICU admission because they are not fully developed and may need some extra support to survive.  Preterm babies are kept warm in the incubators because of a lack of adequate fat storage to help maintain normal body temperature.

2. Sepsis

Sepsis is the common cause of neonatal death and is common in preterm babies because the immune system is not developed to fight infections. While in the NICU antibiotics are administered to help the body fights infection.

3. Respiratory Distress Syndrome [RDS]

This is common in preterm babies because of lung immaturity. It usually causes difficulty in breathing in babies. A ventilator could be used to help the baby breathe and surfactants used to expand the lungs. This treatment helps support the baby and is stopped when the lung starts functioning properly.

PEDIATRICS

The Nile Valley Hospital Pediatrics Center provides services to treat pediatric diseases, conduct vaccinations, monitor the growth and development of children and give helpful advice on care and nutrition.

Services

Chronic Obstructive Airway Diseases such as Asthma, Bronchitis, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, etc.

Pediatric general diseases such as malaria, febrile convulsion, worm infestation, malnutrition, etc.

Pediatric surgical diseases such as intussusception, acute appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, hernia, etc.

Pediatric diarrheal diseases such as acute and chronic diarrheal diseases.

General Vaccination

This approach helps in the early discharge and recovery of patients as they are usually walking around in a few hours after the surgery and can resume their daily activities in no time.
The client complains of minimal pain and has very good wound healing. The Department of Minimal Access Surgery offers a full spectrum of specialized surgeries – gynaecological, surgical and urological surgery.

Our team of surgeons at NVH is trained to carry out gynaecological laparoscopy, pediatric and urological surgeries. Patients are discharged the same day or after 24 hours.

In minimal access procedure or laparoscopic surgeries, the surgeon introduces a telescope with a video camera attached to it through a small incision made into the body cavity and operates by viewing the surgery on a TV monitor. Large lesions such as fibroids can be removed from such small incisions. This approach helps in:

• Reducing the size of the scar on the abdomen and hence giving better cosmesis
• Reduces post-operative pains and encourages early recovery as evidenced by clients moving around hours after surgery and they can get discharged the same day
• Reduces blood loss at surgery hence in most cases there is no need for blood transfusion
• Clients can resume home and office duties within a couple of days.

Laparoscopy presently can be used in most procedures today. It is safe and carries a lot of benefits. Discuss with our team of surgeons if you think you will benefit from it.

MINIMAL ACCESS PROCEDURES

Our team of surgeons at NVH is trained to carry out gynaecological laparoscopy, endoscopic, pediatric and urological surgeries. Patients are discharged the same day or after 24 hours. Procedures carried out at the NVH include:

LAPAROSCOPIC CYSTECTOMY

This is the surgical removal of fluid-filled sacs called ovarian cyst attached to one or both ovaries. The ovarian cyst could become very painful when:

• it twists on itself [tortioned ovarian cyst]
• it bleeds into the cavity [hemorrhagic ovarian cyst]
• if it ruptures and releases its contents [ruptured ovarian cyst]
• if it gets infected [infected ovarian cyst]

LAPAROSCOPIC MYOMECTOMY

Uterine fibroid could be removed via small incisions on the abdomen. They are subsequently morcellated/cut up into little parts to enable removal through these incisions.

LAPAROSCOPIC OVARIAN DRILLING

This procedure is carried out to release excessive fluid in women with polycystic ovaries. Polycystic ovaries are one of the common causes of infertility. A probe is inserted into the ovary at several points to reduce its size and cause the woman to ovulate naturally.

LAPAROSCOPIC SALPINGECTOMY

A pregnancy can implant in a woman’s fallopian tube and begin to grow. Because the tube is a small structure it ruptures over time causing massive internal bleeding. If not identified and corrected it could lead to death from shock. This laparoscopic procedure is carried out to remove the damaged tube and stop the bleeding.

LAPAROSCOPIC SALPINGOTOMY

A pregnancy can implant in a woman’s fallopian tube and begin to grow. In cases where the fallopian tube has not ruptured, an incision could be made on it and the ectopic pregnancy ‘milked out’. This laparoscopic procedure is carried out to conserve the tube of the client especially in cases where the other fallopian tube is damaged.

TOTAL LAPAROSCOPIC HYSTERECTOMY

Laparoscopic hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus [womb] through small incisions on the skin. It is usually indicated for abnormal vaginal bleeding in women who have completed their family’s size. If women are suspected to have suspicious lesions that could lead to cancer over time, it is advisable to undergo a hysterectomy.

LAPAROSCOPIC CERVICAL CERCLAGE

Some women undergo recurrent miscarriages because the neck of the womb is lax or weak. Laparoscopic cerclage insertion enables proper placement of the thread at the internal os of the cervix to enable women with cervical incompetence to carry pregnancies to term [9 months].

LAPAROSCOPIC TUBAL LIGATION

For women who have completed their family and do not want more children, laparoscopic tubal ligation is a useful procedure. This procedure ensures the tubes are ligated/blocked, hence preventing pregnancy by ensuring the sperm and eggs do not meet.

 DIAGNOSTIC LAPAROSCOPY

Diagnostic laparoscopy involves looking into the abdominal cavity to find any disease. It is a useful procedure because most of the organs can be visualized directly and the necessary operative procedure carried out in the event of health challenges. If there is no pathology seen, the client has the small incisions closed and goes home after a few hours.

LAPAROSCOPIC SALPINGO-OOPHORECTOMY

Salpingo-oophorectomy involves the removal of one or both ovaries and fallopian tubes. This surgical procedure is used to treat a variety of conditions, including ovarian cancer in which the uterus and some other structures are removed.

DIAGNOSTIC LAPAROSCOPY AND DYE TEST

A laparoscopy and dye test is an operative procedure to look at your internal organs usually the fallopian tube. A blue dye is pushed through the vaginal and the fallopian tube checked if the fluid flowed out through the other end of the tube.

DIAGNOSTIC HYSTEROSCOPY

This is a procedure where the light source is inserted into the uterus to view the endometrial lining of the uterus, the cervix and the opening of the fallopian tubes.

HYSTEROSCOPIC ADHESIOLYSIS

This procedure involves breaking down adhesions within the uterine cavity which could have resulted from repeated dilatation and curettage (D & C), postpartum infection.

HYSTEROSCOPIC TUBAL CANNULATION

Fallopian tube cannulation is a surgical procedure aimed at opening proximal tubal occlusion in the fallopian tube (blockage in the part of the fallopian tubes closest to the womb). Fallopian tube blockage is a common cause of infertility in women.

HYSTEROSCOPIC MYOMECTOMY

It is a surgical procedure done from the vaginal route in which fibroids within the endometrial lining of the womb are removed. Women with endometrial fibroid are counselled to get this procedure done because of an increased chance of miscarriage if the IVF procedure is carried out.

HYSTEROSCOPIC POLYPECTOMY

Polyps are abnormal tissue growths that most often look like small, flat bumps or tiny mushroom-like stalks. They are a common cause of abnormal vaginal bleeding in women. Most polyps are removed using laparoscopic scissors.

HYSTEROSCOPIC SEPTUM RESECTION

The presence of a septate uterus in a woman of reproductive age can lead to recurrent pregnancy losses. It occurs when there is a fibrous band running down the middle of the uterus. These fibrous bands can be removed laparoscopically.

HYSTEROSCOPIC RETRIEVAL OF FOREIGN BODY

The commonest foreign body retrieved in the uterus is the IUCD [or Copper T]. Usually inserted into the uterus for family planning, it could get lost within the cavity or deeply embedded into the uterine wall requiring hysteroscopic removal under direct vision.

HYSTEROSCOPIC ENDOMETRIAL ABLATION

Endometrial ablation is a surgical procedure used to destroy the endometrial lining of the uterus in women who have heavy menstrual flow. The procedure reduces the bleeding by causing the 2 walls of the uterus to fuse. It is carried out in women who no longer wish to have children.

The patients also have the facility to view and download their outpatient laboratories reports with real-time online access thus saving time, money and effort for patients and their relatives.

Our team consists of reputable scientists who work with clinicians to ensure they deliver accurate results for a wide range of tests.

Our services include Biochemistry, Microbiology, Haematology, Histopathology, Serology among others.

We thus provide state-of-the-art services in the prevention and early detection of several gynaecological cancers such as Cervical cancer, Uterine cancer, Ovarian, and Breast cancers. We create avenues for educating the public on the dangers of these cancers and how to prevent them.

GENERAL MEDICAL CHECKUP

 We provide comprehensive packages for annual physical and medical examinations for our esteemed clients.

Performing these tests regularly helps with the early detection of diseases even before symptoms begin. This makes for the early treatment of some chronic diseases and improves the wellbeing of the individual. Also, clients are counselled on necessary lifestyle changes.

Some tests carried out include:

• Chest X-ray
• ECG [electro-cardiogram]
• Echocardiogram [if indicated]
• Liver Function Test
• Electrolyte, urea, and creatinine
• Lipid Profile
• Fasting Blood Sugar, Glycosylated Hemoglobin
• Urinalysis
• Hepatitis B, C
• HIV Test
• Pap Smear [for women above 25 years]
• PSA [for men above 40 years]
• Colonoscopy [for adults 50 years and above]

You will be counselled not to take any food or drink water from midnight before the tests. You will be advised to be present early for the tests. Our doctors will discuss the details of these results with you.

The patients also have the facility to view and download their outpatient radiology reports with real-time online access thus saving time, money and effort for patients and their relatives.

Our team consists of reputable radiologists and radiographers who work with clinicians to ensure they deliver accurate results.

Our services include X-rays, Ultrasound scan, and breast mammogram.