Doctors and researchers are worried about the increasing number of Kenyan men unable to father children.
New data released last month shows a dramatic rise in cases of men who shoot blanks. Chalo was presenting data from the University of Nairobi’s specialist semen analysis laboratory at Kemri’s annual scientific conference in Nairobi.
The study involved records of 85 men referred for semen analysis from hospitals across the country.
“The number of men presenting with the inability to produce sperms almost doubled within five years,” said Dennis Chalo, a researcher at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri).
Chalo was presenting data from the University of Nairobi’s specialist semen analysis laboratory at Kemri’s annual scientific conference in Nairobi.
The study involved records of 85 men referred for semen analysis from hospitals across the country.
The biggest problem, affecting about a quarter of the men (24 percent) was low sperm count, a condition called oligoozospermia. Having low sperm count, less than 15 million sperms per milliliter of semen which is the international red line, decrease the chance of one making a baby.
Another 14 percent did not produce any sperms, a condition called – azoospermia.
This number had almost doubled from 7.6 percent recorded in 2013 at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).
“This is a worrying development and we suspect the huge increase could be as a result of rising hard-to-treat sexually transmitted infections (STIs),” Chalo told My Health.
The majority of the men in the sperm analysis study, Chalo said, were in a relationship with about 60 percent having sired no child despite trying.
“We are paid sh5 for every poster which stays up and visible for at least a week,” said Julius, one of the boys.
Among the most advertised services in the posters, now an eyesore in all urban areas, is ‘Nguvu za Kiume’, which include anything from male infertility and impotence to improved sex drive.
“This is an indication there is a big and growing male fertility problem out there and we need a well-organised response,” said Chalo.
The most affected age group was 30-49, although a significant number of those in their 20s presented with low sperm count.
(H/T Standard)