MUMBAI, Sept. 25 -- The 140-year-old Cama and Albless Hospital, the city's first and only women's hospital, has recorded a sharp rise in patients seeking fertility treatment, with registrations at its government-run Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) clinic more than doubling from 1,492 in 2024 to 3,286 by September 11 this year. However, only 26 women have undergone IVF at the facility since it received a licence to perform the procedure in December 2025. The hospital, which houses the city's only government-run IVF facility, recorded 1,492 cases in 2024, including 418 new registrations and 1,074 follow-ups. The number rose to 2,827 in 2025, comprising 567 new registrations and 2,260 follow-ups. The surge has continued this year. Till September 11, 2026, the ART clinic had registered 3,286 cases - 515 new registrations and 2,771 follow-ups. The figure is already 459 higher than the total number recorded in the whole of 2025, even though the 2026 data covers only about eight-and-a-half months. The clinic, which began functioning in April 2024, had recorded 379 consultations in its first five months. The consultations form part of the new registrations and are not an additional category over and above the total cases. The numbers, however, do not represent IVF procedures alone. Since the ART clinic received its licence to perform IVF in December 2025, only 26 women have undergone IVF procedures, according to the hospital. A much larger number - 337 women - have undergone intrauterine insemination (IUI) and ovulation induction, which are secondary-level assisted reproduction procedures. Six women have also had their embryos frozen at the hospital's egg and sperm bank. Medical superintendent Dr Tushar Palve said, "So, when a patient initially turns up at the ART clinic, we first try to get their tests and see if medications work for them. There have been instances when many people have not even needed to go through the entire process," said Dr Palve. The government facility has proved particularly significant for women from economically weaker sections, including those below the poverty line (BPL), who may otherwise struggle to afford private IVF treatment. "Unlike, say, an IVF course of three cycles, which might cost about Rs.6-8 lakh in a private facility, here families have to pay just about Rs.30,000-40,000 for every cycle, costing them less than a lakh rupees for the entire course. Facilities like the egg and sperm bank are practically free, barely costing about a thousand-odd rupees for the registration process," Dr Palve said....