One in every 10 men who see a fertility specialist to figure out why they cannot have children leave the clinic none the wiser. This is because in 10 per cent of cases, medics are unable to give a conclusive diagnosis. However, statistics show that 30 per cent of infertility cases are male.
“Women account for 30 per cent as well. Another 30 per cent is traceable to both the man and woman who are trying to have children,” says Dr Wanjiru Ndegwa, a fertility expert at the Footsteps to Fertility clinic in Nairobi.
Charles is one among the 30 per cent. On his wedding day, he thanked God for blessing him with a wife. It was an achievement, at least in his opinion, especially after 27 years of chastity. “I was looking forward to the day we would have our first child,” he says. It was not lost on him though that this desire was not his alone: he shared it with his kin back home.
“Give me as many grandchildren as you can,” his mother had said at his wedding. The ululations from the crowd sounded like a seconding. “We will be watching to see what happens next,” the crowd seemed to concur. It is a painful subject for him: one that clouds his eyes with tears every time he thinks about it.
For the initial 30 minutes of the interview he had managed to keep it together. But soon after, the dam broke. “How does it feel knowing that you can’t sire a child?” This question loosens his grip on his self-control. His mask slips as he sobs, capping his mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to cover his pain.
“It is hard. Sometimes I don’t know what to say when my wife and I are asked when the first baby is coming. My wife has been supportive and is not judgmental. But I am the one with the problem – it hurts so much: it feels emasculating,” he says
Charles is one among the 30 per cent. On his wedding day, he thanked God for blessing him with a wife. It was an achievement, at least in his opinion, especially after 27 years of chastity. “I was looking forward to the day we would have our first child,” he says. It was not lost on him though that this desire was not his alone: he shared it with his kin back home.
“Give me as many grandchildren as you can,” his mother had said at his wedding. The ululations from the crowd sounded like a seconding. “We will be watching to see what happens next,” the crowd seemed to concur. It is a painful subject for him: one that clouds his eyes with tears every time he thinks about it.
For the initial 30 minutes of the interview he had managed to keep it together. But soon after, the dam broke. “How does it feel knowing that you can’t sire a child?” This question loosens his grip on his self-control. His mask slips as he sobs, capping his mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to cover his pain.
“It is hard. Sometimes I don’t know what to say when my wife and I are asked when the first baby is coming. My wife has been supportive and is not judgmental. But I am the one with the problem – it hurts so much: it feels emasculating,” he says
Infertility has always been placed on the woman, but that is not always the case.
In Kenya, whenever a couple is unable to achieve pregnancy, the norm has been to lay the blame on the woman. However, men like Charles who have bothered to seek medical assistance know the bitter truth – that even men are predisposed to infertility.
It is only last month that a man in Machakos allegedly chopped off his wife’s hands because the couple could not bear children. The man, it was reported, had a low sperm count. The most common type of male infertility, says Dr Ndegwa, is azoospermia.
“This is when semen lacks mobile and viable sperms, which can fertilise an egg.” Azoospermia can be primary [congenital] or secondary [acquired after birth]. Primary male infertility, Ndegwa says, can be diagnosed in the first year of a baby boy’s life.
“Pediatricians are supposed to check baby boys whose testicles have not yet descended into the scrotum. Normally, a boy should be born with testicles that have already moved into the scrotum but this does not always happen,” explains Ndegwa. In such situations, surgery is recommended before the baby is older than one year.
Beyond one year, if the testicles have not descended yet, the boy will likely lose the ability to sire children of his own in adulthood. This further complicates the matter since majority of births in Kenya take place in rural areas where uptake (and access) of modern medicine is low.
“I am not sure how many parents bother asking during post natal clinics if their baby’s testicles are fine. It is however, a good enough effort when a parent attends prenatal visits as demanded by doctors. It is only during such interactions that testicles which are yet to descend can be detected,” Ndegwa says.
It is only last month that a man in Machakos allegedly chopped off his wife’s hands because the couple could not bear children. The man, it was reported, had a low sperm count. The most common type of male infertility, says Dr Ndegwa, is azoospermia.
“This is when semen lacks mobile and viable sperms, which can fertilise an egg.” Azoospermia can be primary [congenital] or secondary [acquired after birth]. Primary male infertility, Ndegwa says, can be diagnosed in the first year of a baby boy’s life.
“Pediatricians are supposed to check baby boys whose testicles have not yet descended into the scrotum. Normally, a boy should be born with testicles that have already moved into the scrotum but this does not always happen,” explains Ndegwa. In such situations, surgery is recommended before the baby is older than one year.
Beyond one year, if the testicles have not descended yet, the boy will likely lose the ability to sire children of his own in adulthood. This further complicates the matter since majority of births in Kenya take place in rural areas where uptake (and access) of modern medicine is low.
“I am not sure how many parents bother asking during post natal clinics if their baby’s testicles are fine. It is however, a good enough effort when a parent attends prenatal visits as demanded by doctors. It is only during such interactions that testicles which are yet to descend can be detected,” Ndegwa says.
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