A yet-to-be-published study conducted over three years (2022–2025) in Accra shows that male infertility accounts for 70% of cases where couples struggle to conceive, the Vice President of the Fertility Society of Ghana, Dr Promise Sefogah, has revealed.

The research was carried out among couples seeking fertility treatment in the national capital, according to the Gynaecologist/Obstetrician specialist.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, January 27, Dr Sefogah, the CEO of Shape Healthcare Medical Specialist Centre in Accra, advised couples under the age of 35 on when to seek medical help. “If you’re below 35, we say try up to one year. If it’s not happening, look for help. Look for help together with your partner,” he said, stressing that fertility issues are a shared responsibility.

He highlighted the importance of both partners attending consultations, noting that many men avoid seeking help because of societal and cultural expectations. “It’s best you come in together … because the woman comes, we’ve gone through all the checks… we need to also check your husband because he was not there in the consultation,” he explained.

Dr Sefogah, who is also an Expert Reviewer for WHO Guidelines on the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infertility, said cultural assumptions often shield men from scrutiny when fertility problems arise. “We say we tend to wrongly confer some cultural diplomatic immunity on the men,” he added.

Revealing findings from the research, he said: “We found that up to 70% of the cases, couples who are unable to conceive, the issue has to do with the men. Meanwhile, everybody in the church, in the market, in the workplace, they are pointing to the woman, just worsening their psychological and emotional distress …”

He noted that stress itself can further impair fertility. “When your body is stressed, it produces something called cortisol, and that disrupts your hormones. So it makes it a vicious cycle. That makes it difficult to conceive,” he said.

Dr Sefogah also pointed out how medical conditions such as diabetes can affect female fertility. “Diabetes has a way of affecting the quality of a woman’s eggs … That can make it difficult to ovulate regularly, and that poses a problem,” he stated.

Early fertility preservation and egg freezing:

He urged women delaying childbirth to consider fertility preservation, explaining that younger eggs are healthier and have better chances of successful pregnancy through processes like egg freezing. “If you don’t see yourself settling to start having a family, then … fertility preservation can be brought onto the table for discussion.”

Male fertility and ageing:

Dr Sefogah cautioned that male fertility declines with age, particularly after 40, as sperm quality reduces, affecting the time it takes to conceive. “The older a man gets … the time to conception increases.”

Read Also: Male fertility declines with age – Gynaecologist/Obstetrician specialist

Impact of alcohol on male fertility:

He warned that alcohol consumption severely damages sperm quality, concentration and DNA, and can reduce testosterone levels, further threatening male fertility.

Read Also: Egg-Freezing: A smart choice for women delaying childbirth – Dr Sefogah