Clinical Presentation of Infertility in Gombe, North-Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Infertility is the commonest problem in our gynaecological clinics. However, the manner of clinical presentation varies from one place to another, depending on the socio-economic and cultural environment from which the patients come. There is therefore a need to evaluate the clinical presentation of infertility in this part of the world to characterize the manner of presentation of the patients. Objective: To identify the mode of presentation of infertility in two tertiary health care centres in Gombe. Method: A descriptive study of the history and findings of physical examination of women complaining of inability to conceive was conducted. Results: One hundred and ninety six infertile women had their history taken and were examined. The prevalence of primary and secondary infertility was 36.7% and 63.3% respectively. The mean (± SD) age, parity and duration of infertility among the women were 28.3 ± 6.0 years, 0.9 ± 1.3 and 7.5 ± 6.0 years respectively. History of dysmenorrhoea (68.9%), previous abortion (63.2%), previous treatment for infertility (62.8%), chronic pelvic pain (48.5%), poor coital exposure (44.9%), abnormal menstruation (44.4%) and previous pelvic inflammatory disease (43.9%) were common. Common physical findings were galactorrhoea and features of genital tract infection. As the duration of infertility increased, a significantly higher proportion of the women were likely to have sought for traditional medication to solve the problem. Conclusion: Secondary infertility is the commonest type of infertility in this population. Women with a longer duration of infertility are likely to have tried traditional medication unsuccessfully. Key Words: Infertility, Clinical Symptoms, Traditional Medication [Trop J Obstet Gynaecol, 2003, 20: 93-96]