The Medical Director of the Accra Fertility Center at the MediFem Multi-Specialist Hospital, Dr. Nana Kwame Henaku-Larbi, has cleared the air on a common misconception that abortion causes direct infertility in women.

He was speaking in an exclusive interview with Emelia Naa Ayeley Aryee, a journalist and Director of Xoese Ghana, as part of Xoese Ghana’s flagship campaign of ending infertility stigma against women and couples.

The purpose of the interview was to delve deeper into the causes of infertility in both men and women, the treatments and interventions available, and what role stakeholders like the government can play in helping infertile women who are in dire need of children but their finances would just not allow them.

There’s a general perception out there that once a woman has an abortion, she automatically signs up for infertility.

However, there are also cases of some women who have had an abortion or even multiple abortions but are still able to have a child or children.

Between abortion and infertility

According to the astute medical practitioner with over 3 decades of experience in the field, an infection during the act of performing an abortion is what can cause infertility in the woman, not the abortion itself.

He explained that during an abortion, there could be a perforation of the womb which can adversely affect it so that it can even be distorted from its natural shape. Once this happens, the womb becomes incapable of accepting a fertilised egg or accommodating a growing baby.

A weak womb as a result of an abortion, he reiterated, would not carry a baby successfully and this could lead to miscarriages in the woman.

The same thing can happen to the fallopian tube which can cause damage or a blockage so that fertilization does not take place.

The fallopian tube, Dr. Henaku noted, is where a sperm swims to meet an egg, therefore, if there’s damage or a blockage, the process is hindered - the sperm is restricted and so there won’t be a conception no matter how hard the couple tries unless the issue has been resolved by an experienced doctor.

To this end, it is clear that abortion, if not done by the right medical professional, could have dire consequences, including infertility.

Dr. Henaku-Larbi added that inordinate and uncontrolled sexual activities leading to rampant abortions can increase their risk of infertility.

The doctor admitted that it would be hard to find a gynecology who has been practicing for years without having perforated the womb or fallopian tube.

It’s just like it’s said “hazards of the job” like in any field of work, he insinuated.

Does fibroid necessarily cause infertility?

Dr. Henaku-Larbi also touched on a common misconception that fibroids impede pregnancy.

He said that widely-held perception is not entirely true since there are women with forbids who have had children.

The role fibroids play, rather, is that the location of it in the reproductive system is what could be the hindrance.

“If you have the fibroid obstructing the passage to the fallopian tube, that’s what will cause infertility. If the fibroids find their way in the uterus where the growing fetus should be, there could be a miscarriage since the baby and fibroid would be struggling for a space,” he explained.

Please watch excerpts of Dr. Henaku-Larbi interview here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldhYfRpwE4o&t=86s

Battling infertility stigma

Dr. Henaku believes that in the time and age of advancement and modern technology, there shouldn’t be anything such as infertility stigma.

What the women should do is to visit the hospital and seek help to have children. There are many methods available, he said.

“No woman should sit home and cry because they don’t have children. There are many means to have their children, such as through surrogacy or IVF,”. Dr. Henaku stressed.

Meanwhile, Xoese Ghana was in the news recently following its Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Awareness Seminar.

The seminar was well attended by both males and females, with the majority of females battling PCOS and infertility.