<<Print>>

Childlessness is the condition of having no children. There are two types of childlessness, voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary childlessness, also described as being childfree, occurs when one decides not to reproduce. To be childless, but not by choice, is involuntary childlessness.

In the Ghanaian society , the condition whether voluntary or involuntary  have personal and  social effects  especially on a married couple due to the often excessive pressure society puts on couples after their marriage ceremony to have children. 

Marriages over the years have suffered relentlessly due to the inability of a couple to give birth to their own children. Whereas the situation has led to divorce among some couples, others have also stayed together till death does them apart without having children of their own.

Those who have had to wait for years after marriage to have children, say the experience is not one they would wish for even their worst enemy.

Studies show that men account for about 40 per cent of problems of infertility. Their major problems include impotency; low sperm count ejaculatory disorders, inability to produce sperms, and defective sperms. 

Their women counterparts often encounter major problems include inability to produce ova, blockage of fallopian tubes, unsafe abortion and fibroid among others.

Mr Raymond Tetteh who had his first child after 10 years of marriage told the Weekend Finder it was a very tormenting period of his life.

 “Nothing has been so challenging and frustrating in my marriage life than waiting for my first child……and it took 10 long years of pain and agony before the good Lord answered our prayers.

Initially, we took things easy. But after three years of waiting in vain, we started getting alarmed. It wasn’t that my wife was not taking seed but each time she missed her period, two or three months later, the pregnancy aborted.

Family and friends, who knew what we were going through, also started getting worried. Even the Pastor who blessed our marriage was also agitated because it was the very first marriage he blessed after being ordained as a Minister of God.”

Mr Tetteh said based on the recommendation from their parents, they sought medical attention at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and after series of tests they were declared fit and told “to continue to work hard at it”.

“So, on and on we went but the result was the same – no pregnancy, no child birth - and my frustration now turned into real pain and heartache, especially anytime close friends of mine had a naming ceremony and made me chairman for the occasion,” he added

He told the paper that what worsened the situation was the fact that they were then living in a compound house and at the least provocation his wife was the target of taunts and jeers about her childlessness.

Their breakthrough came at a time his wife was 36.

This has been the plight of many couples in Ghana who have waited years to have their first child with many still hoping for that miracle.

Fertility clinics to the rescue 

 Today, scientific interventions in dealing with fertility issues makes a positive outcome for most couples with issues more likely.

Artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization (IVF), Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and Intrauterine insemination (IUI) are helping women all over the world to have their own babies.

In Ghana hospitals such as Tema Women Hospital which started IVF in 1992, Lister Hospital, Finney Fertility Hospital, Lapaz Community Hospital, Del International and Fertility Centre, Ruma Fertility and Specialist Hospital in Kumasi among others have all being successful with the process.

Dr Robert Aryee, Clinical Embryologist at the Lapaz Community Hospital in an interview with  Weekend Finder said IVF and others forms of scientific methods of making babies were very good options for couples who cannot have their own children.

The Hospital established its fertility centre less than a year ago to help couples who were having difficulties with childbearing. Within the period, they have been able to deliver their first IVF baby boy and have also been able to get 20 women pregnant after going through the IVF procedure and these include clients who came out with twins, triplets and quadruplets.

He said some 30 to 40 years ago, when the scientific methods were not around, so many people went to their grave without having their own children. A situation he described as sad since infertility was a disease that can be treated.

Dr Aryee told the paper that the centre attends to about 10 couples in a day and after consultation they decide on what methods to take the hospital through.

He said IVF was very good for men with extremely low sperm counts, and also people with HIV partners who would like to have babies among others.

He added that even though the treatments were quite expensive, middle income couples and even low income couples can afford the procedure.

An IUV  procedure cost between 2,000 to 3,000 Ghana Cedis whiles IVF’s could cost between 12,000 to 15, 000 Ghana cedis.

“My advice to young couples is that once you stay together for a about six months to a year and there is no pregnancy, you have to go for a check-up to find out where the problem is, for a solution to be found.” 

He added that men who are family oriented and would love to have kids in the future they should avoid accumulating heat around their groin area. 

“Men must avoid wearing too many clothes, drivers and other men who work around heat should avoid staying in the heat for a long time.”

He said hairdressers, drivers, hard drug users and hard liquor drinkers were at high risks of being infertile.

“I will advise that hairdressers use gloves all times, drivers should be taking constant breaks in order to cool their groin areas and young people must avoid hard liquors and drugs.”

Pro Vita Specialist hospital is Ghana’s first and highly reputable fertility hospital. 

 It is a specialized medical facility that provides up to date medical services by experienced personnel. 

The facility History in April 2006, when the when it delivered the first set of quintuplets (five children) in the country.

The facility combines expertise with advanced infertility and reproductive treatment options, including IVF, Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Egg & Sperm Donation and General cases to help searching couples. 

This center has offered very appreciable services and breakthrough cases since its inception, notables ones being the establishment of the 1st I.V.F Center in 1995 and the 1st Sperm bank and in October of the same year the first IVF baby was born. 

“At Pro Vita monitors treatment is monitored from beginning to end by our team. Our attention to detail, coupled with innovation in the treatment of infertility allows you access to a high quality program that will work closely with you to help you achieve your dream of parenthood” management of the facility has noted.