Childless couples have hope through IVF

In some parts of the world, marriage can just be for the purpose of partnership, romance and nothing more. But in Africa, nay, Nigeria, the joy of marriage is incomplete without the fruit of the womb.

That was the summary of the reactions of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ozimede-Etsemobor — hitherto childless couple who waited for agonising 23 years before they could have their own babies.

Needless to say, it was a long wait for the Edo State indigenes, as they moved from one hospital to the other in search of the elusive blessing.

As a trado-medical practitioner, Ozimede-Etsemobor was confident about the efficacy of herbs in taking care of any ailment or other challenges that humans could face. But the problem of infertility that he and his wife, Charity, had to battle for over two decades tested their will power.

But, as Ozimede-Etsemobor enthused, “I love my wife and I made up my mind that she either had my baby or no woman would do that for me.”

His resolve notwithstanding, each passing year before they eventually underwent a successful in-vitro fertilisation at the MART Clinic, run by the globally acclaimed pioneer of IVF in Black Africa, Oladapo Ashiru, it was as if their nightmares had come to stay.

On his own, Ozimede-Etsemobor had administered all the herbs he knew of that could make both him and his wife fertile. He had also consulted his fellow trado-medical practitioners, but all efforts proved abortive.

Eventually, their family doctor, a gynaecologist, referred the couple to MART, where their dream of becoming parents was eventually realised through the birth of a set of twins: a girl and a boy earlier this month.

Through a series of tests, Charity was discovered to have fibroids, which were removed through modern therapy that guarantees safety from scarring the womb. They also went through detoxification therapy, which returned their beleaguered bodies to a pristine state.

Infertility explained

Ashiru, whose practice as fertility expert spans three decades concurrently in Nigeria and the United States of America, explains, “There are several causes of male infertility and they can be categorised into four levels, all of which refer to the different anatomical parts of a man — the brain, the endocrine organs below the brain, the testes where the sperm is produced and the ducts that carry the sperm during ejaculation.

“In summary, the first levels prone to major attack are the testes, and it can be in form of infection, prominent of which is mumps, which can lead to permanent testicular damage in a male child.

“The male infertility can also be from embryological abnormalities during development; one of such is undescended testes. Since sperm production has to be at a temperature slightly below body temperature, when the testes are left in the abdomen, it will affect sperm production and cause male infertility.

“There is also a situation where the duct that carries the sperm is abnormally located and open into the urinary bladder instead of coming out to the penile gland to open. Infertility can also result from non development of the testes, called testicular agenesis.

“Another major area of focus in male infertility in this part of the world, which really requires a lot of attention, is occupational and environmental hazards. We now know that the following can be extremely toxic to sperm or prevent sperm production: pesticides, paint fumes, petrochemical and polyethylene products, crude oil fumes or its injections, plastic fumes, X-ray radiations, welders and battery chargers’ fumes, etc. Workers in this type of occupation need to wear appropriate protection masks.”

In women, Ashiru says, causes of infertility can also be explained from the four levels. He says many of the causes arise from abnormalities in the endocrine organs.

“Virtually all the endocrine glands in the body have direct or indirect effect on the process of ovulation,” he says. “These endocrine glands act like an orchestra in symphony; consequently, an abnormal function in any of the glands can lead to abnormality in ovulation or the process of placenta formation for the support of pregnancy. These abnormalities present initially in various forms such as irregular bleeding, prolonged period between menstrual cycles, very painful menstrual period and other symptoms.

“The next cause can be found in the uterus. Here, there can be tubal blockage — the fallopian tubes that carry the eggs and allow the sperm to fertilise the eggs in the space may be blocked by infection. The infection can be from sexually transmitted diseases or from prior surgery like appendectomy or from previous delivery by caesarean section or a very high fever of unknown origin.

“This infection can compromise the integrity to the fallopian tubes that carry eggs and therefore make pregnancy impossible naturally. Also, in the uterus, fibroid formation can be a cause of infertility. They are more of a problem if they are large or if they are sitting or protruding into the cavity of the uterus where the baby is supposed to grow and develop.”

Consultant obstetrician/gynaecology, Dr. Lateef Akinola, said by deploying Hysteroscopic Morcelator, which skilled physicians use in fertility treatment such as fibroid removal, the fibroid will ‘melt off’ without leaving tissues floating in the uterine cavity; and that where such a client also needs to undergo IVF treatment, as is the case with Mrs. Charity Ozimede-Etsemobor, it makes for double assurance that the process will be successful, unlike the failure rate that would be recorded should the uterus become scarred if old procedures were employed.

On the use of herbs to cure infertility, a gynaecologist, Dr. Kingsley Ekwuazi, said in rare cases, some herbs might be able to stimulate ovulation; but most times, they end up complicating issues, “because the substances might be injurious to the kidney or liver, making conception impossible.”

When delay can be dangerous

Experts counsel childless couples to seek treatment at the earliest possible time and in competent hospitals.

Ashiru says, “With treatments such as IVF, two things that usually hold back success potential are both the egg quality and egg quantity. At age 40 and above, women have reduced fertility potential when compared to younger women. Women age 40 and over also have substantially lower success rates with fertility treatments, including IVF.”

Again, scientists say, it is not just women who have to worry about their ticking reproductive clock. Men’s sperm quality are said to also deteriorate after the age of 35; and that as men get older, their partners are at increased risk of miscarriage. Researchers say men should be aware of age-related changes in their reproductive system and that if they wish to become fathers, they shouldn’t leave it too late.

In essence, Ashiru says, the younger the couple, the better the chances of success. He advises that where the couple is under 35, they should see a gynaecologist after one year of trying unsuccessfully to have a child. And in the case of couples who are over 35, they should see gynaecologist after six months of having unprotected sex that doesn’t result in pregnancy.

PUNCH.