TITLE:
Causes of Infertility of Couples Residing in Libreville
AUTHORS:
Opheelia Makoyo Komba, Ulysse Minkobame, Pamphile Assoumou, Reteno Retno, Elsy Ntsame, Anouchka Mewi, Jacques Albert Bang Ntamack, Jean François Meye
KEYWORDS:
Epidemiology, Gabon, Infertility
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Reproductive Sciences,
Vol.12 No.1,
February
27,
2024
ABSTRACT: Introduction: According to the World Health Organization, globally one in six people
experience infertility in their lifetime. Infertility is considered as a major
and global public health issue. In most cases, women bear the burden of
infertility to protect the male ego. Although men and women are equally likely
to have fertility problems. The aim of this study was to identify the causes of
infertility of couples residing in Libreville. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study performed
over 2 years, from 1st January 2021 to 31st December
2022. Data was obtained from 162 couples attending the assisted reproduction department of the mother and child hospitals in
Libreville. Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics version
22.0 software. Results: During the study period, 28.5% of couples could
afford IVF treatment. The average for woman age was 39.1 ± 4.06 while the
average age for male patients was 41.53 ± 7.08 years with minimum and maximum age of 34 et 66 years. More than
half (58.6%) of female partners were employed in
the public sector. Half of the male partners (50%) were employed in the private
sector. The median duration of infertility was 6 years. Approximately 49.4% of
couples were diagnosed with primary infertility. The most common causes of
infertility in female patients were Fallopian tubes obstruction (53.2%),
uterine factors (24.2%) and hormonal problems (19.6%). With regards to male
factors infertility, testicular causes were predominant (53.6%).
Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia were the major semen abnormalities (55.7%) found
after semen evaluation. Both male and female partners were sub-fertile in 47.5%
of cases. Unexplained infertility was found in 11% of couples. Conclusion: This study showed that the diagnostic of infertility faced by couples residing
in Libreville should involve both male and female partner.