VMPL
New Delhi [India], May 26: In a field where success is measured in lives transformed, Dr. Manjunath CS has just been recognised, for the second consecutive year, as the best in the country at what he does. The senior fertility specialist and IVF expert at Birla Fertility & IVF, Koramangala, was awarded the First Prize at the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction (ISAR) national conference in both 2025 and 2026 ,a distinction that places him among the most respected voices in Indian reproductive medicine today.
But for a doctor who has overseen more than 20,000 IVF cycles across nearly two decades of practice, the recognition is simply a reflection of a philosophy he has held long before the trophies arrived.
"Fertility is a field where you witness joy and grief simultaneously," says Dr. Manjunath. "Our job is to bring that bundle of joy to an entire family ,and to do that with the highest quality of care and an ethical commitment that never wavers."
From Davanagere to the Forefront of Indian Reproductive Medicine
Dr. Manjunath's journey from JJMMC, Davanagere, through Bangalore Medical College, to a Master's in Reproductive Medicine and Embryology at Homerton University, London, and a Fellowship in Regenerative Medicine from IASRM, Delhi, is the story of a clinician who has always sought the frontier. Over 19 years of practice across institutions including Baby Science IVF, Nova IVF Fertility, and now Birla Fertility & IVF, he has built a reputation not just for clinical outcomes, but for the way he treats the human beings behind each case.
It was this conviction ,that high-quality fertility care should not be a privilege of metro cities ,that drove his most defining professional chapter. As one of the founding forces behind Baby Science IVF, Dr. Manjunath helped scale the chain to 13 centres, deliberately targeting Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across India. The goal was unambiguous: to bring laboratory standards and genetic procedures that previously existed only in urban centres to couples in rural and semi-urban India, at a price they could actually afford.
"High-quality IVF practice was simply missing from large parts of rural India," he explains. "We built these centres in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities not as a concession, but as a commitment ,the same science, the same standards, anywhere."
The network was eventually acquired by the CK Birla Group, integrating its expertise into one of India's most trusted healthcare conglomerates.
The Ethics Aren't Optional
At a time when India's fertility sector has seen rapid ,and often uneven ,expansion, Dr. Manjunath has been an outspoken advocate for standardisation. He identifies three non-negotiable pillars that he believes every clinic in the country must uphold.
The first is radical transparency in clinical communication. Every patient who walks into his clinic leaves understanding their situation fully ,written documentation, plain language, no jargon. "A layman must be able to understand exactly what is happening with their treatment," he insists.
The second is complete financial transparency before treatment begins. Costs are discussed, documented, and signed off before a single procedure is initiated ,no hidden billing, no surprises mid-cycle.
The third is setting honest expectations. Couples are counselled on what each treatment cycle can realistically deliver. "When patients understand the statistics ,that a single IVF cycle can achieve a 65-70% success rate, rising to 85% over two cycles and up to 94% over three ,they approach the process with confidence rather than fear," he says. "That emotional clarity makes a real clinical difference."
This commitment to transparency has also shaped his work as a trainer. Over his career, Dr. Manjunath has trained more than 750 gynaecologists across India and internationally in infertility management and gynaecological laparoscopy ,a contribution to the profession that goes well beyond his own clinic walls.
The Research Question That Could Shape India's Demographic Future
Even as he collects national accolades, Dr. Manjunath's attention is already turning to what he believes is one of the most consequential and under-examined issues in Indian women's health: the longevity of the ovary.
An increasing number of young women ,many still in their twenties and early thirties ,are presenting with diminished ovarian reserves. The implications stretch far beyond individual fertility. Dr. Manjunath argues that if left unaddressed, this trend could become a meaningful contributor to India's declining Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and long-term population trajectory.
"This is the next frontier," he says. "The longevity of the ovary within the context of overall longevity is one of the most debated areas in reproductive research right now ,and it deserves serious clinical attention in the Indian context."
He has announced plans to pursue structured clinical research in this area, with the aim of building an evidence base that can inform both individual treatment decisions and broader public health policy.
A Doctor's Standard for the Industry
Now based at Birla Fertility & IVF's Koramangala centre in Bengaluru, Dr. Manjunath continues to see patients while contributing to the institutional mission of expanding access to world-class reproductive care across India.
The ISAR double recognition marks a milestone ,but it also signals something larger. In a sector often criticised for prioritising volume over values, it affirms that ethical, transparent, high-quality fertility medicine is not only the right approach. It is also the one that earns the profession's highest regard.
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