Couples who are below 35 have been advised to start seeking medical assistance one year after trying to conceive while those who are above 35 should wait only for six months.
A fertility expert, Dr Abayomi Ajayi, who gave the advice in Lagos during the flag-off of the 20th anniversary of Nordica Fertility Centre insisted that such couples should see a gynaecologist to ascertain if they have no medical-related problem.
“When a couple has been trying to get pregnant and it is not successful, they should see a gynaecologist.” They don’t have to go to a reproductive assistance clinic immediately. If they visit an expert and it was discovered they need in vitro fertilisation (IVF) to have their kids, then they better start quickly also, before they start telling stories that touch the heart.”
In Nigeria, many couples prefer going to religious centres to pray or wait for years before seeking assistance when they are trying to have their own kids.
The MD of Nordica Fertility Centre said the long wait will reduce their chances of conception as both men and women have reproductive periods.
“Women are at their reproductive peak period between age 25 and 32. At age 35, women’s fertility starts declining rapidly. Your best bet as a woman to have children is during your peak age.
“Men are a little bit luckier but reproduction also decreases in men after age 40. By 45, their reproduction capacity starts declining and so is their chance of producing quality sperm that can fertilise a woman’s eggs. If a man is 50 and he marries a 25-year-old woman, he may not quickly get her pregnant like a 30-year-old man who marries a 25-year-old woman,” he stated.
He explained further that when older men impregnate a woman, there is a higher chance of miscarriage or congenital abnormalities.
“It is true that men can impregnate a woman at any age, but the quality of sperm he is producing to fertilise eggs matters a lot.”
Speaking on the 20 years of fertility treatment in Nigeria, Dr Abayomi said his fertility clinic looks forward to the next 20 years when his organization can provide cutting-edge technology to give couples increased chances at getting their own children.
