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.
