Lagos — Unsuspecting women will go through more agony in the hands of quack in Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) practitioners if the practice is not properly regulated.

President of Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health (AFRH), Prof. Osato Giwa-Osagie, stated this during a press conference held preparatory to the fourth annual international conference of the AFRH of at the weekend.

The conference, which would hold at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, from September 24 to 26, is themed, "Improving Pregnancy Rate of IVF in Africa".

Giwa-Osagie, said it is very important that the IVF practice is properly regulated to prevent influx of quacks.

"If charlatans are allowed to get into IVF, I feel sorry for the women; they will suffer more.

"We shall keep saying it. The group of experts is saying this is the way it should be regulated.

"British, Americans have their regulations. We would have ours and implement it whenever the government is ready", he added.

Some of the issues that will be discussed at the conference are ethics in IVF, new technologies in IVF, its cost in Nigeria, role of reproductive surgery and quality control.

It will be a forum to educate stakeholders in the reproductive health sector, such as the fertility doctors, nurses, embryologists as well as counsellors on issues that pertain to successful and safe IVF practice.