Featured, Health
While the nation is battling to check the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, cancer and recently cholera, attention should also be paid to the rising cases of infertility in the country. Since the high cost of infertility treatments is associated with a significant risk of catastrophic health expenditure, the intervention of federal and state governments is needed in this regard.
By Benprince Ezeh
THE average Nigerian is daily confronted with crippling challenges of poverty, high food prices, unemployment, insecurity and poor health facilities. The growing cases of infertility have joined the league of challenges threatening many homes in the country.
According to some medical experts, infertility is like toxins which are poisonous substances produced within living cells or organisms that damage the body and can be in form of food, water, air and clothing. These toxins could get into human body as alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, medical drugs, cosmetics, household cleaning products, as well as pollution and environmental poisons.
The experts also said that 12 million couples across the country have infertility issues. Emmanuel Enang, a doctor with Federal Medical Center, FMC, Abeokuta, Ogun state explained that humans are faced with various toxins in what they eat and drink. According to him, modern-day living has led to increased exposure of toxins to the body, which can lead to infertility. “Men and women who are interested in having children should be cautious on what they consume, and ensure that they ate balanced and healthy diet,” he said.
He believes that modern-day living and various lifestyles contribute to accumulation of toxic materials in the human body. This could affect several natural body functions and the ability to reproduce, thereby contributing to various degrees of sperm disorders in men and implantation failures in women. “The older generation were not exposed to toxic threats that invade us today and that made it easier for them to live longer without some of the life-threatening diseases of today,” Enang said.
But Kingsley Agholor, Consultant Gynecologist, Central Hospital, Warri, Nigeria said in his April 2017 post that in low-resource settings such as Nigeria, accessing basic assisted reproductive technology treatments can be challenging or impossible for many couples who want to conceive. Many fear the negative consequences of childlessness resulting from societal pressure. Couples who cannot conceive often experience emotional and psychological trauma. Sadly, societal norms dictate that the woman is the cause of the infertility, ignoring male infertility. Infertility comes at a high price financially, emotionally and physically for many couples in Nigeria.
Writing on the Burden of Infertility in Nigeria: Raising Visibility to Promote Equitable Access to Care, Agholor explained that the prevalence of infertility is generally higher in sub-Saharan Africa compared to most other regions. Given the poverty that exists in Nigeria, where 92.4% of the population live on less than 2 dollars a day, the high cost of infertility treatments is associated with a significant risk of catastrophic health expenditure. For example, tubal disease, which is the most common cause of infertility in Nigeria, is best treated with in-vitro fertilization, IVF, and one cycle of IVF in Nigeria costs an average of $3,289. This out-of-pocket payment has the potential to create or exacerbate poverty.
According to him, evidence suggests that many women discontinue treatment for financial reasons. In desperation, some have sought cheaper care from traditional healers such as “mamas that rub.” Mamas that rub are generally untrained providers who use herbal medicines and abdominal massage, a technique that is not supported by scientific evidence for infertility treatment, exploiting and deceiving their patients.
“This type of care can be dangerous for a woman’s health: Some researchers have suggested a link between abdominal massage and maternal mortality in Nigeria. Further evidence suggests that male traditional healers have sexually exploited women seeking infertility treatments.
Universal access to health care has been shown to offer protection against the financial hardship that results from ill health, as illustrated by its inclusion in the Sustainable Development Goals. Unfortunately, the absence of functional health insurance schemes in many states of Nigeria is a major barrier for couples trying to conceive continue to face challenges. Infertility care is excluded from the list of services offered in the states where health insurance schemes are currently operating and in the National Health Insurance Scheme. Thus, many couples who are struggling financially are forced to pay out-of-pocket,” he said.
“Data from Quebec, Canada have demonstrated that universal coverage of IVF resulted in increased access to IVF treatments and reduced costs. Similar results were obtained in Belgium, where patients benefited from financial reimbursement for six cycles of assisted reproductive technology treatments. Insurance mandates have been found to significantly improve the utilization of effective and safe infertility treatments in some parts of the United States as well.
“There is a need to raise the visibility of infertility within the maternal health care field. People in Nigeria, other low-resource settings and all over the world deserve equitable access to infertility care. Everyone has a right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health—and this right extends to the ability to make reproductive choices for oneself and one’s family,” he added.
For Felicita Ogbu, a doctor in Ukraine, fertilization of a baby is a product of both the father and mother and that optimizing the quality of the woman’s egg and the man’s sperm before conception is of paramount importance. “Getting pregnant and growing a new human being with your own reserves require surplus nutrients and energy, hence the need to detoxify.
“Detoxification is a key body function, which involves the elimination of metabolic waste and other toxins through eliminatory organs such as the skin, kidneys and liver. About 80 percent of all chemical processes that go on in our bodies require detoxification activities.
“Beyond detoxifying, it is also imperative for women to consume lots of essential nutrients necessary for the growth and development of the baby,” Ogbu said.
Osita Ugbo, a gynecologist at Mountain of Fire hospital in Enugu said that female infertility may lead to other complications if not treated. “Infertility is trying to get pregnant (with frequent intercourse) for at least a year with no success. Female infertility, male infertility or a combination of the two affect millions of couples in the Nigeria,’’ he said.
According to him, an estimated 10 to 18 percent of couples in Nigeria have trouble getting pregnant or having successful delivery.
“A menstrual cycle that’s too long (35 days or more), too short (less than 21 days), irregular or absent can mean that you’re not ovulating. To get pregnant, your ovaries must produce and release an egg, a process known as ovulation.
“Without ovulation it is difficult for a woman to get pregnant. Damaged or blocked fallopian tubes keep sperm from getting to the egg or block the passage of the fertilized egg into the uterus,” Ugbo stated.
Mary Ubong, a dietician said that many men who undergo these kind of challenges should be taking fruits often. “It has only recently come to light that there are benefits in taking of fruits like tiger nuts.
“For both female and male fertility, there are a lot of reasons why you would want to add tiger nuts to your diet if you want to conceive,” she said.
According to her, if you and your partner struggle with infertility and are undergoing treatment for it, both of you should eat tiger nuts in one way or the other. They will significantly improve the success rate of the treatment.
“If you have problems with your menstrual cycle (because of either hormone imbalance or older age), tiger nuts can help you normalise your menstruations and avert ovulation decline. Vitamin E that is contained in tiger nuts is a perfect immune system booster. A healthy body is of the utmost importance when one is looking for a baby, so tiger nuts can help in making the body stronger and keep diseases away,” Ubong said.
However, some medical experts expect couples experiencing infertility to undergo detox programmes, follow fertility diet and take preconception supplements to boost themselves, while avoiding activities that could lead to generation of several reproductive toxins within the body.
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Tags: Kingsley Agholor
