Radhika Merchant pregnancy rumours: When the family normalised fertility treatment

After the many-month-long wedding ceremonies of Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani, the family is trending again in the season of Navratri, thanks to an old video in which they can be seen performing Garba. The video is reportedly from a dandiya night thrown by Anant's grandmother, Kokilaben, a few months ago, and Radhika Merchant isn't seen in it. However, assuming it is a new video, many speculate that Radhika can be pregnant. Another video, in which Radhika appears before an audience, holding her mother-in-law's hand, is also doing the rounds, triggering similar rumours.
At this time, many on social media are also lauding the family for their progressive approach towards fertility treatments. A while ago, Anant's sister, Isha Ambani, revealed that she conceived her twins, Aadiya Shakti and Krishna, through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. Interestingly, Isha and her twin brother Aakash were also given birth to by their mother, Nita Ambani, through IVF treatment.

Isha said in an earlier interview that it is important to normalise IVF as it is a difficult procedure, and people who undergo it get extremely exhausted, both physically and mentally. She added that those who opt for it shouldn't be alienated from society. Nita Ambani, too, had a tough journey to give birth to her children. When she was 23, she reportedly came to know that she couldn't give birth. However, Dr Firuza Parikh, whom Nita calls one of her closest friends, apparently helped her and Mukesh Ambani become Aakash and Isha's parents.

Why is IVF tough?
While those who opt for IVF do not deserve to be stigmatised, it is important to understand that it is an extremely costly process that calls for many hormone injections, appointments with doctors, emotional and physical strain and patience. At the same time, its success rate can vary and offers no guarantee of pregnancy. It is a complex procedure in which eggs from ovaries are retrieved and manually combined with sperm for fertilisation. Those who go for IVF may also have a slightly higher risk of premature delivery at lower birth weight, ectopic pregnancies in which egg implants outside of the woman's uterus, miscarriage and multiple births.