One third of gynaecological consultations involve infertility, reveal experts
At least one in every three consultations done by a gynaecologist is a fertility case, Dr Kireki Omanwa a fertility expert has aid.
Dr. Omanwa, who is the Secretary General to the Kenya Obstetrics and Gynaecologist Society (Kogs) said the current norm of having multiple sexual partners risk spreading the health crisis even further.
He revealed that chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease has been mentioned as one of the causes of infertility in the Kenyan population.
“Most of these cases are a result of blocked tubes (fallopian and urethra) which are a consequence of STDs,” said Omanwa.
One challenge of chlamydia, said Dr Omanwa is that it does not show symptoms, and by the time they show, the fallopian tubes in women and urethra in men is already blocked.
“As a man, you may think that you are being macho when you have multiple sexual partners, but what you don’t know is that maybe you are spreading the virus to others who will in turn infect their partners as well,” said Omanwa.
In women, according to zavamed.com, the bacterial disease causes inflammation of the cervix and ectopic pregnancy (development of embryo outside of the uterus).
In men, the disease causes epididymitis which is the inflammation of the tube that carries sperms.
Dr Omanwa added that studies have also shown that women of African descent are more likely to be affected with fibroids, abnormal growths in a woman’s reproductive system which significantly reduces the chances of conceiving by between 40 and 60 per cent.
Endometriosis, which are also growths affecting women has also been linked to infertility. First symptoms of this disease is painful periods.
“Some of these growths could not be picked back when women used to start having children as early as 13 years and have more every two years so there was no room for these abnormal growths to develop,” Omanwa explained.