Abstract
Background: Infertility is a major reproductive health care problem that affects the wellbeing of women. Although views vary between cultures, infertility is seen almost exclusively as a woman’s problem in Africa with secondary infertility being the most prevalent while sexually transmitted infections the most investigated cause of infertility. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of female infertility in the Limbe and Buea Regional hospitals of the Southwest region of Cameroon from 2015-2019. Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive design was used which involved studying clinical files of women within the reproductive age group (15 - 49) with infertility problems, at the gynaecological and maternity units of the selected hospitals in the Southwest region of Cameroon over a period of five years (2015-2019). Data were collected from all files included in the study. Results: A total of 4609 females visited the two hospitals for investigation and 1111 files were identified with infertility giving prevalence of 24 %. Three hundred and forty-three (343; 31%) presented with primary infertility while seven hundred and sixty-eight (768; 69%) had secondary infertility. The average age of affected female was 31.5 making age the predisposing factor of infertility because after the peak of 25 years, infertility started decreasing. Employment with salary and the association between diagnosis and age had a p-value < 0.005 which was considered significant in this study. Conclusion: This study found that the prevalence of infertility in Southwest Cameroon is high with secondary infertility being most predominant among infertile women with a prevalence of 69% caused principally by sexually transmitted infection (STIs). Age and occupation were significantly associated with infertility. Routine laboratory screening of women of reproductive age may reduce the high prevalence of infertility in the study area.
Highlights
Infertility is a vital issue for couples of childbearing age worldwide
Prevalence is the percentage of women of reproductive age (15 - 49 years) at risk of becoming pregnant who report trying for a pregnancy for two years
Association between occupation and infertility It was observed that jobs with salary had the greatest number of infertility cases followed by women doing business and the least is noticed in farmers (Figure 3 and Table 2)
Summary
Infertility is a vital issue for couples of childbearing age worldwide. It is a special reproductive health defect that is not life threatening, but has considerable, detrimental influence on couples, their families and the society [1] [2]. With the various definitions of infertility, the acceptable definition most definitely depends on the couple involved, the nature of the problem identified, the socio economic and cultural dynamics of the community in question and the relative time expected to conceive by an average couple Considering these factors, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a more universal definition for infertility as “a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse” [4] [5]. Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive design was used which involved studying clinical files of women within the reproductive age group (15 - 49) with infertility problems, at the gynaecological and maternity units of the selected hospitals in the Southwest region of Cameroon over a period of five years (2015-2019). Routine laboratory screening of women of reproductive age may reduce the high prevalence of infertility in the study area
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