Fertility problems: Treatments, facts and healthy habits couples should know

Infertility is a common problem among many Nigerian couples, says Ifeoluwa Oyetunji, a fertility consultant.

Speaking on Wednesday at a media training and workshop in Lagos, the consultant said there were several ways couples can determine the causes of their infertility.

They include: “Fertility evaluation through semen analysis, menstruation, blood sample for ovarian reserve testing, baseline ultra sound, laparoscopy, sonohysterogram and hysteroscopy”.

The consultant noted that there were many available treatments for both genders depending on the causes of infertility in the individual.

Some of these treatments, she said, are “surgery, assisted reproductive technology (ART), intrauterine insemination, intacytoplasmic morphologically (IMSI), fertilisation failed vf cycles, and physiological intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Others are “oocyte donation, sperm donation, laced assisted hatching, freezing of sperm or eggs (cryopreservation), freezing of embryo, surrogacy, and sex selection”.

Oyetunji of Nordica Fertility Centre, Ikoyi, said infertility damages were mostly irreversible but could be reduced by taking proper precaution.

“Nordica Centre carried out a study of 1,115 infertile women, about 60 per cent or 681 of them, had problems inside their wombs while 338 women had scars inside their wombs.

“Female infertility, male infertility or a combination of both affects millions of couples in the country, with an estimated 10 per cent to 18 per cent of the couples having problems with getting pregnant or having a successful delivery.

“Low sperm-count among men may account for 30 per cent of infertility while blocked tubes among females may account for another 30 per cent.

“Combined factors caused by both genders may account for another 30 per cent while the remaining 10 per cent caused by unexplained medical issues.”

Oyetunji said unexplained medical challenges were often responsible for many supposedly infertile couples conceiving without treatment.

“After trying to unsuccessfully for two years, about 95 percent of such couples will conceive successfully,” she added.

She encouraged men and women to practise safe-sex, avoid alcohol, smoking and stress and to maintain a healthy living so as to improve fertility rates.