Seba Jaafarawi endured a three-year journey of fertility treatment, which proved to be an emotional roller coaster. The process of retrieving eggs from her ovaries was physically painful, compounded by the strong side-effects of hormone injections. The heartbreak of experiencing two failed pregnancies was deeply distressing for Jaafarawi and her husband. Despite their efforts, they were unable to conceive naturally, leading them to turn to in vitro fertilization (IVF), a widely available option in Gaza.
In Gaza, large families are prevalent, with nearly half of the population being under 18 years old, and a high fertility rate of 3.38 births per woman, as reported by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics. This contrasts with Britain’s lower fertility rate of 1.63 births per woman.
Despite the economic challenges in Gaza, couples grappling with infertility persistently pursue in vitro fertilization (IVF), sometimes resorting to selling personal possessions like televisions and jewellery to cover the treatment costs, according to Al Ghalayini. At least nine clinics in Gaza offer IVF services. The resulting embryos are often cryopreserved until the optimal time for transfer to the woman’s uterus. The majority of frozen embryos in Gaza were stored at the Al Basma center.
In September, Jaafarawi experienced success with her first IVF attempt and became pregnant.
“I did not even have time to celebrate the news,” she said. Two days before her first scheduled ultrasound scan, Hamas launched the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Jaafarawi was fraught with worry: “How would I navigate through my pregnancy? What fate awaits me and the precious lives within my womb?” Unfortunately, her scheduled ultrasound never took place, and Ghalayini had to close his clinic, where an extra five of Jaafarawi’s embryos were stored.
As Israeli attacks escalated, Mohammed Ajjour, the chief embryologist at Al Basma, grew increasingly concerned about the liquid nitrogen levels in the five specimen tanks. Regular top-ups were necessary every month to maintain the temperature below -180°C in each tank, which operated independently of electricity.
Once the war commenced, Ajjour succeeded in obtaining only one delivery of liquid nitrogen. However, Israel’s suspension of electricity and fuel supplies to Gaza led to the closure of most suppliers, exacerbating the already critical situation.
By the end of October, the arrival of Israeli tanks in Gaza signaled a heightened level of danger as soldiers tightened their grip on the streets surrounding the IVF center. The situation grew too perilous for Ajjour to safely check the tanks.
Amidst this turmoil, Jaafarawi grappled with the necessity of rest to safeguard her fragile pregnancy. However, hazards lurked at every turn: she endured the exhausting climb of six flights of stairs to her apartment due to a non-functioning elevator, witnessed a bomb demolishing the neighboring building and shattering windows in her flat, and coped with dwindling supplies of food and water. Instead of finding solace in rest, she found herself consumed by worry.
“I became very frightened, sensing signs that I might lose the pregnancy,” Jaafarawi recounted. After she and her husband relocated south to Khan Younis, Jaafarawi experienced some bleeding, which eventually subsided, yet her apprehension persisted. Crossing into Egypt on November 12, Jaafarawi underwent her first ultrasound in Cairo, revealing the joyful news of a twin pregnancy, both embryos alive.
However, within a few days, Jaafarawi was gripped by agonizing cramps, bleeding, and a sudden shift in her abdomen. Rushed to the hospital, she found herself in the throes of a miscarriage.
“The sounds of my screams and cries in the hospital still haunt me,” she reflected, her grief palpable. The pain of loss remains unyielding.
“Whatever descriptions I offer about the hardships of the IVF journey, only those who have lived through it truly understand,” Jaafarawi asserted. Despite her devastating loss, she harbored a desire to return to the war zone, retrieve her frozen embryos, and embark on another IVF attempt. Sadly, this hope was soon dashed by circumstances beyond her control.
