MAKHACHKALA, July 9 – RIA "Dagestan". Muminat Kharkharova, the Chief Physician of the Republican Center for the Protection of Family and Reproductive Health and the region's leading freelance reproductive health specialist, has encouraged residents to undergo reproductive health screenings ahead of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.
Continuing a family legacy in medicine, Kharkharova has spent years helping local couples achieve parenthood. She asserts that preventing reproductive health issues is far more critical than treating them after they arise.
"A family begins not with a stamp in the passport, but with caring for one another" she remarked, urging young adults to get checked before planning a pregnancy. She noted that since many illnesses remain asymptomatic, timely screenings are crucial for preserving fertility and ensuring the birth of healthy children.
The importance of early detection and modern infertility treatments was the main theme of the X Jubilee North Caucasus Scientific and Practical Forum "Infertile Marriage. From Outpatient Care to ART" recently held in Makhachkala. The event, organized by the Republican Center and the Russian Association of Human Reproduction with support of Dagestan Public Health Ministry, stood as the largest professional gathering on reproductive health in the Northern Caucasus.
It attracted 70 top experts, 779 in-person attendees and over 800 virtual participants from seven foreign countries and 60 Russian regions. Discussions heavily focused on the patient's continuous medical journey, from initial preventive visits at local polyclinics to accessing advanced procedures like IVF under the compulsory medical insurance (OMS) program. According to Kharkharova, this continuum of care underscores the ongoing availability of free reproductive check-ups for men and women aged 18 to 49 at their registered polyclinics.
These examinations are designed to catch potential infertility issues early, allowing for treatment before a couple even begins trying to conceive. Furthermore, the chief reproductive specialist addressed a roughly 5% increase in registered abortions in Dagestan last year. She clarified that this statistical rise was not a negative trend but rather the result of better record-keeping and more women seeking care at official medical institutions.