Turnhout (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – AZ Turnhout has expanded its fertility services to include egg retrieval, allowing 150 IVF patients to complete treatment locally, while fertilisation continues at UZA Antwerp with secured transport.
As VRT News reported, patients at AZ Turnhout will no longer have to travel to university hospitals for egg retrieval during fertility treatment. Until now, most parts of the in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) process were already available in Turnhout, but the egg retrieval procedure still required a visit to a university centre.
How is AZ Turnhout expanding IVF care with egg retrieval for 150 patients?
According to gynaecologist Astrid Verest, egg retrieval is a demanding stage in the treatment. She says that having the procedure in Turnhout removes a major burden for those undergoing IVF. With this development, AZ Turnhout expands its role as a regional fertility centre and offers patients complete treatment close to home.
“In Turnhout, I visited the hospital so often that I knew the doctor and nurses; it was a familiar environment. At the University Hospital Antwerp, I didn’t know anyone.”
Laura Verhofstad, mother of 2 children, after IF treatment in Turnhout
Laura Verhofstad has already undergone fertility treatment twice at AZ Turnhout.
“During my IF treatment, I had to go to the hospital in Antwerp three times. It’s quite a long journey from the Kempen region. In Turnhout, I was in the hospital so often that I knew the doctor and the nurses; it was a familiar environment. I didn’t know anyone at the University Hospital Antwerp; I saw the doctor for the first time when I was picked up.”
Gynaecologist Astrid Verest confirms that the number of fertility treatments in Turnhout has been rising in recent years. At present, around 150 patients are undergoing IVF treatment at the hospital, and that number is growing. The addition of egg retrieval marks an important step in the development of AZ Turnhout as a regional fertility centre.
“This is done in a temperature-controlled transport box using medical transport,”
Says Astrid Verest.
“In the event of an accident on the ring road, we can even operate the sirens to ensure the eggs are delivered quickly.”
AZ Turnhout started working on its application to expand fertility treatments in 2012 to give patients access to more stages of in-vitro fertilisation close to home. The hospital set up a partnership with the University Hospital of Antwerp (UZA), where fertilisation and embryo culture continued while patients received other parts of their treatment in Turnhout. The demand for fertility care grew year after year, and by 2020, the number of patients was already increasing.
