About 3,000 babies are born yearly in Nigeria by In Vitro Fertilization, IVF, because of infertility of couples caused by infections. Professor Osata Giwa-Osagie disclosed this during a distinguished professor lecture at University of Lagos, Wednesday.

In a lecture entitled, “The Development and Future of Advanced Fertility Management: A West African Perspective,” Giwa-Osagie said for man to survive, he must reproduce and evolve, referring to a Biblical injunction which instructs man to “go and multiply.” According to him, statistical models and observation of human couples led to the expectation that 80 per cent of couples engaging in regular sexual intercourse without contraception will achieve a pregnancy within 12 months.

“The 20 per cent of couples who have not achieved a pregnancy are defined as being infertile. These infertile couples are those who require proper investigation and fertility management. Estimates of infertility in populations vary from five per cent to as much as 30 per cent, and have geographical variation, with prevalence rates of 7-10 per cent accepted for most populations of couples.”