A celebrated Gynaecologist in Ogun State, Dr. Taofeek Ogunfunmilayo, who took the delivery of the second oldest woman in the world, to give birth via In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) recently in the State, says infertility is ‘’solely not a woman problem but a man too’’.
Dr. Ogunfunmilayo who disclosed this at the Ogun State Information Officers’ meeting held at the Press Centre, Governor’s Office in Abeokuta, defined infertility, as inability to conceive within 12 months of regular and unprotected sexual intercourse, three times or more weekly.
He also noted that 85 to 90 percent couples conceived after one year, while one out of six couples experience infertility every year, adding that infertility in Nigeria was largely secondary and mainly due to infections .
The Gynaecologist stated further that factors such as; endometriosis, cervical factors, uterine fibroid-bilateral, testicular and sometimes unexplained factors, were major causes of infertility in both sexes, adding that other causes may be blocked fallopian tube and gummed womb, arising from infections, ineffective sperm count, as a result of intake of alcohol and other environmental factors.
Advising on some of the ways to prevent infertility, the medical practitioner said, if and when necessary, pregnancy needed to be terminated under the law, then a professional must be consulted, infections should not be self-treated and a male child should be properly monitored to ensure that his reproductive organs were healthy.
