Assessment of some medical conditions responsible for male infertility and treatment offered in general hospital, Calabar, Nigeria

Introduction: Male infertility remains a bottle neck in reproductive health. Globally, 8-12% of couples experience some form of infertility during their reproductive years, affecting approximately 50-80 million couples. This issue is particularly prevalent in Africa, including Nigeria, where an estimated 20-35 million couples are impacted, with 3-4 million in Nigeria alone. This study aims to assess the medical conditions leading to male infertility and the corresponding treatment outcomes within General Hospital Calabar over a five-year period (2019-2023).
Methodology: A retrospective case study design was used; data was collected from the medical records department in general hospital Calabar, Nigeria. The medical conditions leading to infertility in the study population was noted and the treatment given to ameliorate the individual medical conditions was equally documented. Data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS 20.0 version and a descriptive and quantitative statistical analysis was done considering a five-year interval (2019-2023) to analyze the prevalence of male infertility cases and the distribution of underlying medical conditions contributing to infertility.
Results: Findings revealed variations in male infertility incidence across the study years, with varicose veins, erectile dysfunction, and low sperm count emerging as predominant factors accounting for %. Treatment modalities primarily included pharmacological, hormonal, surgical interventions, and assisted reproductive technology (ART), with ART serving as a predominant treatment option.
Conclusion: ED, Varicose veins and Low sperm counts are the leading cause of male infertility with hormonal therapy and surgical interventions being the popular treatment options. Therefore, increased public awareness, comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, multidisciplinary approaches and organized data documentation will improve reproductive health outcomes.