Infertility and associated factors in three hospitals in Douala, Cameroon: a cross-sectional study.
Aim
We determined the prevalence and factors associated with couple infertility in three hospitals in Douala, Cameroon.


Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional study from December 18th 2015 to March 18th 2016 in three public hospitals in Douala. Three hundred and sixty participants were studied prospectively for associated factors using a multivariate logistic regression model and 4732 files were studied retrospectively for the prevalence of infertility. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.


Results
The prevalence of couple infertility was 19.2%. In logistic models, the factors which independently increased the risk of couple infertility were a history of reproductive tract infection/STI, a history of uterine fibroids, a history of dysmenorrhea and abortion for the females while for males it was a history of mumps, erectile dysfunction and exposure to chemicals/toxic substances/pesticides.


Conclusion
One in every five couples in this study was infertile. Several factors affect the risks associated with couple infertility. The identification of these factors could help detect subgroups of couples at high risk of infertility. Reproductive health education, screening programmes for STI's that may lead to infertility should be offered to couples.
['Egbe|Thomas Obinchemti|TO|', 'Mbaki|Charmaine Ngo|CN|', 'Tendongfor|Nicholas|N|', 'Temfack|Elvis|E|', 'Belley-Priso|Eugene|E|']
D000328:Adult D002163:Cameroon D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D007172:Erectile Dysfunction D005191:Family Characteristics D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007247:Infertility, Female D007248:Infertility, Male D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D015995:Prevalence D012189:Retrospective Studies
associated factors Douala Cameroon prevalence Couple infertility