In 1980, specialised fertility care was still a developing field in
India, and access to reproductive healthcare in the Northeast was limited. It
was in this setting that the Institute of Human Reproduction
(IHR) was established at Bharalumukh, Guwahati, by
the late Dr M. L. Goenka. His vision was
straightforward but ambitious: to provide comprehensive, personalised
healthcare for couples dealing with infertility and for women facing high-risk
pregnancies.
More than four decades later, IHR continues to operate from
Bharalumukh, but the institution itself has changed considerably. What began
with a small team providing essential healthcare services has grown into a multidisciplinary
centre covering reproductive medicine, fertility treatment, maternity care,
gynaecology, neonatal and paediatric care, diagnostics and related surgical
services.
A Journey That Began in 1980
IHR’s early years were built around a specific healthcare need.
Infertility management and specialised maternal care were not as widely
accessible in the region as they are today. The institution was created to
address that gap, with reproductive health, infertility and mother-and-child
care at the centre of its work.
Its development was gradual. As medical practice evolved, IHR added
doctors, nurses, technicians, departments and specialised facilities. Rather
than remaining solely a fertility clinic, it expanded its scope alongside the
needs of the patients it served.
One of the most important moments in that journey came on 7 July
1995, when IHR pioneered the test-tube baby programme in Northeast India.
The milestone marked a significant development for assisted reproductive
medicine in the region and positioned Guwahati as a place where patients could
access a form of fertility treatment that had previously been difficult to
obtain locally.
Two years later, in 1997, IHR established what it identifies as
the first semen bank in Northeast India. These developments formed part of the
institution’s early work in assisted reproduction and were followed over time
by the adoption of newer fertility procedures, laboratory practices and
reproductive technologies.
From IVF to Continuity of Care
Today, the range of services at IHR extends well beyond IVF. Its
reproductive medicine services include IUI, ICSI, fertility preservation,
cryopreservation of eggs, sperm and embryos, and genetic testing procedures
such as PGT, PGS and PGD. The institute also provides laparoscopy and
hysteroscopy, along with other fertility-related procedures and surgeries.
The wider hospital setup includes obstetrics, high-risk pregnancy
care, gynaecology, labour and delivery, paediatrics and neonatology, NICU and
PICU facilities, pathology and diagnostic services, imaging, pharmacy and
general and advanced laparoscopic surgery.
This breadth is particularly relevant in reproductive healthcare
because treatment does not necessarily end when conception occurs. For patients
who require it, the presence of fertility, maternity, high-risk pregnancy and
newborn-care services within the same institution can provide continuity from
fertility treatment through pregnancy and childbirth.
The physical and clinical infrastructure has developed alongside these
services. IHR currently reports three major operation theatres, including a
dedicated endoscopy theatre, as well as a minor operation theatre. Its
fertility infrastructure includes a Class 10,000 IVF laboratory and facilities
for IVF-ET and ICSI. The hospital also has an in-house pathology laboratory,
NICU and PICU facilities, five ultrasound machines, digital X-ray and a 24-hour
pharmacy.
More Than 30,000 IVF Journeys
The scale of IHR’s work is also reflected in the figures provided by
the institution. IHR states that it has completed more than 30,000 IVF
cycles and has been associated with more than 50,000 deliveries over
the years.
It further explains that the “30,000+ IVF success stories” referenced
by the institution represent more than 30,000 couples who completed their IVF
journey and took their babies home following treatment at IHR.
Patients have not come only from Guwahati. According to IHR, people
travel to the institute from across Assam and other Northeastern states, including
Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. It has
also treated patients from elsewhere in India and from countries including
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the United States and Australia, as well as Dubai.
The institution does not currently provide a verified state-wise or
country-wise breakdown of this patient population, so its geographic reach is
better understood as an indication of where patients have travelled from rather
than a quantified distribution.
Keeping Pace With Reproductive Medicine
Reproductive medicine has changed substantially since IHR opened its
doors in 1980. The institution attributes its longevity partly to its continued
adoption of newer treatment protocols, laboratory practices and technology,
supported by clinical and embryology teams, infrastructure investment and
professional training.
More recent developments include the introduction of stem
cell-related services in 2023 and needle-free injection technology in
2026. IHR also states that it has followed an OHSS-free IVF approach since
2012.
Its academic role has developed as well. IHR holds Manyata
Certification and is affiliated with FOGSI as an Endoscopy Centre and an
Infertility Centre. It also conducts a Fellowship Programme in Reproductive
Medicine, providing structured clinical training in fertility and reproductive
healthcare.
A 46-Year Institution Still Evolving
The story of IHR is ultimately one of expansion around a consistent
clinical focus. It began in 1980 with infertility and high-risk pregnancy care,
entered a new phase with assisted reproductive medicine in the 1990s, and
gradually built services around fertility, pregnancy, childbirth and newborn
care.
That evolution matters in a region where access to specialised
healthcare has historically required patients to travel outside the Northeast.
IHR’s presence in Guwahati has meant that reproductive technologies and
associated maternal and neonatal services have developed within the region
itself.
Forty-six years after its establishment, the institution is no longer
defined by a single treatment or milestone. Its history spans the early
development of assisted reproduction in Northeast India, the expansion of IVF
and embryology, and the creation of a broader system of reproductive and
maternal care.
For IHR, the next chapter will be shaped by the same field that has
transformed dramatically since 1980: reproductive medicine itself. What remains
consistent is the founding idea of building specialised care around patients
navigating infertility, pregnancy and the complex medical journey between the
two.