The Managing Director of Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, X-rays infertility among Nigerian couples and concludes that male factors cannot be ignored in the treatment of the medical condition, NIYI ODEBODE writes.

James and Boluke Adegunle have been married for eight years, but they have no child. After a year of their marriage, Boluke was worried. She thought her job in a bank must have contributed to their infertility. She, therefore, resigned.

Two years after leaving the job, she was not pregnant. The 40-year-old woman went from one hospital to the other seeking a solution to her problem. Her husband did not accompany her to any hospital until May this year when a fertility centre advised that her husband should come for a test.

After examining James, the hospital discovered that he had low sperm count. Before the medical check-up, James family had blamed the couple‘s childlessness on Boluke.

To the Managing Director of Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, Boluke‘s problem aptly illustrates the plight of many Nigerian barren women. In the country, women take the blame for infertility.

Ajayi described infertility as a very traumatic experience. He said, ”I have seen somebody, who has accomplished everything any human being should accomplish, but because he has no child, he still feels like a second-class citizen.”

Advising infertile couples, he said, ”The earlier they go for treatment the better because the age of a woman can determine the success of any treatment.” According to Ajayi, men should stop blaming women for the problem. Both male and female factors can cause infertility.

The gynaecologist identified low sperm count as the commonest cause of infertility in men. According to him, men with low sperm count cannot impregnate their wives, no matter the rounds of sexual intercourse they have.

Explaining the causes of low sperm count, he said, ”Infections can cause it. A lot of people are born that way. Some people inherit low sperm count. Sometimes, it is a tough thing for them to understand.

”They will tell you that their fathers have many children. But we know that in genetics, some genes are recessive, while some are dormant. So it is possible for your father to have a recessive gene for low sperm count, which now manifests in you.”

In women, the managing director stated that factors that could cause infertility included blockage of the fallopian tubes, ovulation disorders and fibroids. ”There are some women that do not ovulate,” he added.

Ajayi stated that an accident that affected the testicles could also lead to low sperm count. Other factors, according to Ajayi, are occupation; drugs, such as antibiotics; obesity and smoking.

”It has been documented that long truck drivers suffer low sperm count. It has also been documented that those who work in fuel stations suffer it. Okada riders (commercial motorcyclists), whose testicles are exposed to high temperature for a long period can also suffer low sperm count,” he added.

The managing director faulted a claim that all people with spinal cord injury were always impotent. He explained, ”It depends on the level where the accident occurs. If it affects everything (all parts of the spinal cord) such may affect ejaculation. It is not everybody that has spinal cord injury that will have the problem of ejaculation.”

According to him, the age of a woman plays an important role in invitro-fertilisation. He said, ”The older a woman is, the more it becomes difficult for the IVF to succeed.” He, however, disclosed that Nordica had succeeded in recording pregnancies in women that were 38 years and above through one of the latest technologies in IVF.

To Ajayi, diagnosis is not a problem in infertility treatment. The managing director said, ”Diagnosis is not our problem in infertility treatment. The problem is getting the appropriate treatment.

”The tests are specified and almost everybody can interpret them. The problem is how to get the appropriate treatment. That is why people go for escapist methods. They go from one prayer house to the other. They go to traditional doctors.”

Advising Nigerians not to be gullible, he said that they should verify claims by both orthodox and traditional medical practitioners. He added, ”Every claim must be verified. If I say I am doing IVF, come to my centre and verify. We know some centres that are not doing what they claim they are doing.”

Advising infertile couples, he stated, ”I give kudos to religious organisations for helping to maintain sanity. They are giving hope to couples, but they should combine it with knowledge. They should tell couples that they should be treated.”







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