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Pattern of infertility among infertile couple in a secondary health facility in Delta State, South South Nigeria


W.O. Odunvbun
D.V. Oziga
L.O. Oyeye
C.L. Ojeogwu

Abstract

Background: Infertility is a worldwide problem, affecting 8%–15% of couples in their reproductive age. There is a wide variation in the pattern of infertility in different parts of the world, being highest in the infertility belt of Africa, which includes Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study, involving infertile couples attending the gynaecology clinic of Eku Baptist Government Hospital, a secondary health facility in Delta. The study was conducted from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2015. Case notes of all eligible couples attending the gynecology clinic were retrieved; relevant information was extracted and subsequently analyzed.

Results: The incidence of infertility was 32.0%. The mean age of infertile women was 34 ± 6 years, mean duration of infertility was 5 ± 3 years, 58.9% of women had secondary infertility, 56.0% of male partners of women had abnormal seminal pattern, resulting in a high (40.6%) contribution of male factor to infertility in our study.

Conclusion: This study has established a 32.0% institutional incidence rate of infertility in Delta State, similar to the findings in other parts of the country. It has also confirmed the predominance of secondary infertility in this part of the country. The high level of abnormal seminal pattern in this study was responsible for the high male factor contribution to infertility in the study area.

Keywords: Incidence; infertility; seminal pattern


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eISSN: 0189-5117