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500 women in Moscow on waiting lists for in vitro fertilization

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MOSCOW, March 15 (RIA Novosti) - A total of 480 infertile women in Moscow, a city of 11 million, are presently on the waiting list for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, a senior obstetrician said Thursday.

"I want to dispel the myth that it is an easy procedure," Mark Kurtser, Moscow's chief obstetrician, said. "IVF requires a thorough medical examination, does not suit everyone and may have complications."

He also said the women on the waiting lists had no other chance of getting pregnant, and added that the IVF treatment would be carried out for free.

"The Moscow health department will cover the cost for each of them, which will give them the opportunity to undergo three or four IVF attempts," Kurtser said, adding that artificial fertilization significantly increased the chance of conceiving twins or triplets.

Kurtser warned that giving birth outside of maternity centers was dangerous for both the mother and the child.

"The media have been writing about giving birth in out-patient conditions, including at home," he said. "Practice has shown that such ventures often have serious consequences we have to remedy."

He said it was next to impossible to create sanitary conditions for women in labor at home, despite this method being fashionable.

The demographic situation in Moscow may improve further considering that fewer women in the Russian capital are opting for abortions, Andrei Seltsovsky, head of the Moscow health department, said.

"In 2000, a total of 57,324 abortions were registered in Moscow, in 2006 their number declined to 28,502," he said, adding that a more effective family planning system in the city could have helped reduce the figures.

Moscow presently has 11 family planning centers that help young women to learn more about pregnancy, and reduce the number of abortions.

Another positive trend is that fewer children have been born with Down syndrome in the capital. In 2002, 136 babies were born with the disorder, and 94 last year.

Russia is suffering a severe demographic crisis. Its population has been in steady decline, with the United Nations predicting that it may fall by a further third from the current 142 million by 2050.

In order to curb this trend, President Vladimir Putin instructed parliament and government in May to double monthly child benefit payments to 1,500 rubles ($55) for the first child, and pay mothers 3,000 ($110) a month for their second child. He also said the government should give women at least 250,000 rubles ($9,225) as financial aid following the birth of a second baby.

In December, Russia's parliament passed a maternity incentive bill to provide payouts to women who give birth to more than one child.

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