A leading fertility expert, Prof Oladapo Ashiru, has said women are more open to talking about fertility issues than men.
Ashiru said this at an event organised by the Lions Club International, District 404B2 Nigeria, to commemorate International Women’s Month.
At the event which was tagged ‘Break the Bias,’ the professor of endocrinology said men often live in denial whenever it comes to fertility issues, while ignorance is the reason some Nigerians are having fertility issues.
He said, “When it comes to fertility issues, a number of Nigerians are ignorant and that has made infertility a major issue in the country. As much as ignorance is an issue, I have discovered that men often live in denial; they don’t like to admit that they have issues. Rather, they push it on the women. Unfortunately, society has also attributed fertility issues to women.
“According to research, both men and women have 50 per cent inhibitions each, so either of the couples could be responsible for infertility.”
Ashiru noted that other infertility issues were caused by environmental toxins, bad eating habits, stress, driving barefooted, consuming stockfish and fish with a large presence of mercury could be a major cause of infertility.
He said, “Some women do not drive with their shoes because they find it easy driving barefooted. Many patients experience miscarriages after going through IVF because the upper lining of those pedals has antimony which has been proven to be embryo-toxic. Not until we remove this antimony from them, they can’t be pregnant or keep a pregnancy.
“Same goes for mercury which is present in large fish and stockfish; fumigation, oil spillages, the use of lipstick and pesticides are also injurious to health. Fumigation and pesticides can affect a woman who is carrying a baby; it will affect the baby and the child to be born. That is, toxins from pesticides affect three generations.
“Women use a lot of lipstick, unknown to them that they carry a lot of toxins especially if they are cheaply made. Oil spills are also toxins to the sperm and eggs, it causes miscarriage.”
Earlier, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mrs Lola Akande, said it was time Nigerian women broke the bias.
Akande said women should emulate notable females like the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Mrs Ngozi Okojo-Iweala, Managing Director/CEO, Fidelity Bank, Mrs Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, former chairman of First Bank, Mrs Ibukun Awosika, amongst others.
