Iraqi couple welcomes bundle of joy after 26 years of marriage

The couple underwent treatment for three months with hormonal drugs and nutritional supplements.

An Iraqi couple in the UAE was overjoyed after they had a healthy baby boy at a Sharjah hospital 26 years after marriage! The husband, Rabah Al Salmani, 52, and his wife, S Al Salmani, 41, already have a daughter who is 23 years of age, but could not conceive after her birth in 1996 until 2020 due to fertility issues.
"We consulted several doctors and even got the treatment done to have another child but to no avail. We had given up hope of becoming parents again and had accepted that maybe we weren't meant to have more children. Maybe it just wasn't on our cards, however, we continued praying and trying various treatments, until this last treatment at Al Zahra Sharjah worked by the will of God," said Al Salmani.
Dr Mohammad Al Hasoun, specialist obstetrics and gynaecologist at Al Zahrah Hospital Sharjah, who helped the couple in the infertility treatment, said: "I saw the patient a year ago. He had a weak seminal analysis, which basically means low sperm count, but the patient was too shy to talk about it openly which is probably why they could never get it treated. After listening to their struggles of trying for a second baby for over 20 years, our team studied the reasons for infertility and chalked out a treatment plan."
The couple underwent treatment for three months with hormonal drugs and nutritional supplements, and after that, they underwent an assisted fertilisation technique that yielded positive results for them.
Talking about the rate of infertility in the UAE, Dr Hasoun said one in every seven married men suffers from infertility. He attributed the high rate of infertility in men to the extremely high temperatures of the country.  We maintained and monitored the husband's health for a good one year where he was advised to follow a nutritional diet comprising a lot of fruits and vegetables and asked him to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We also used modern techniques and expertise that helped us treat the couple successfully."
Expressing his joy, Al Salmani said his family is now complete with a boy and a girl. "This is all because of the will and blessings of God that he gave us this gift of a healthy baby even at this age. We had lost all hope and this is a miracle for us. We do not have words to express our gratitude to the doctors and staff of Al Zahra Hospital Sharjah who gave us hope and encouraged us to stay positive and helped us throughout the treatment."
saman@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Dubai