Male Infertility in Nigeria: Tests and Treatment
Start with the number, because it changes everything else on this page. In a study of 797 women investigated for infertility at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, 55 percent had partners with an abnormal semen analysis. Male factor was the commonest single finding.
Male infertility in Nigeria is therefore not a rare misfortune or a private failing. It is the leading contributor, and it is the least investigated, because the test that finds it is the one men avoid.
This guide covers what the test measures, what causes male infertility in Nigeria, what treatment looks like, and one widely used product that makes it considerably worse.
What male infertility in Nigeria actually means
Male infertility in Nigeria means the same thing it means anywhere. The sperm are too few, too slow, the wrong shape, or unable to get out. Nothing about that describes a man’s strength, his worth or his marriage.
Plenty of causes are correctable. Several improve within months. And where they do not improve, modern techniques work with very small numbers of sperm, so a poor result is rarely the end of the road.
The one test that starts everything
A semen analysis is cheap, quick and needs no procedure. Abstain for two to seven days, produce the sample fresh, and repeat it a few weeks later if it comes back abnormal, because results swing naturally.
These are the WHO 2021 lower reference limits.
| Measure | Lower reference limit |
| Volume | 1.4 mL |
| Concentration | 16 million per mL |
| Total sperm number | 39 million per ejaculate |
| Total motility | 42 percent |
| Progressive motility | 30 percent |
| Vitality | 54 percent |
| Normal forms | 4 percent |
Read those as thresholds rather than verdicts. The figures come from men whose partners conceived naturally within a year, set at the fifth percentile, so a result slightly below a line still leaves plenty of room. Most men investigated for male infertility in Nigeria sit near a line rather than far below it.
Azoospermia, meaning no sperm in the sample at all, needs a repeat test and then a specialist. It divides into a blockage, which is often fixable, and a production problem, which has its own routes.
What causes male infertility in Nigeria
Varicocele
Enlarged veins in the scrotum raise local temperature and impair sperm production. It is the commonest correctable cause of male infertility in Nigeria and worldwide, a urologist can diagnose it by examination, and surgery improves semen quality in selected men.
Infection
Untreated chlamydia, gonorrhoea and other infections scar the tubes that carry sperm. Mumps caught after puberty damages the testes directly.
Consequently, treating an infection promptly, and treating your partner at the same time, protects fertility you will want years later.
Heat, and the way many Nigerians work
This is the part of male infertility in Nigeria that local conditions genuinely worsen. Sperm production needs the testes slightly cooler than the rest of the body. Long hours seated, hot engine bays, generator and welding work, and tight clothing all push in the wrong direction.
None of these ruins fertility on its own. Together, over years, they matter, and unlike most causes they cost nothing to change.
Hormonal problems
Low testosterone with low FSH and LH, raised prolactin, thyroid disease and pituitary problems all reduce sperm production. All of them show up on blood tests, and most respond to treatment aimed at the cause.
Everything else
Smoking, heavy alcohol, uncontrolled diabetes, obesity, some blood pressure medicines, some antibiotics, chemotherapy and radiotherapy all affect sperm. So do anabolic steroids, which brings us to the section that matters most.
The product that makes male infertility in Nigeria worse
Read this twice, and tell a friend.
Testosterone is a contraceptive. Taking it from outside shuts down the signals from the brain that tell the testes to make sperm, and sperm production falls as a direct result.
The numbers are not subtle. In a contraceptive trial using monthly testosterone injections, roughly 65 percent of men became azoospermic within six months. That is the intended effect of the drug, not a side effect.
Worse, this happens in exactly the wrong population. A survey of urologists found that around 25 percent had treated low testosterone in men with infertility by giving them testosterone, despite it being contraindicated when a man wants children.
In Nigeria the problem is larger, because testosterone injections, gym boosters and unlabelled supplements sell freely to men who are quietly worried about fertility.
The good news is that it usually reverses. After stopping, roughly two thirds of men recover to 20 million sperm per millilitre within six months, about 90 percent within a year, and nearly all within two years.
So if you are taking testosterone in any form and you want a child, tell your doctor now. Specialists use different medicines, including clomiphene and hCG, precisely because those raise a man’s own testosterone without switching off sperm production. Those are prescription decisions, not gym decisions.
Treatment that works
Treating male infertility in Nigeria starts with the free part.
Fix what is fixable. Stop testosterone and anabolic steroids. Treat infection. Stop smoking. Reduce alcohol. Control diabetes. Lose excess weight. Get out of the heat where you can. Several of these show results in three months, which is roughly how long one cycle of sperm production takes.
Surgery. Varicocele repair for selected men, and reconstruction where a blockage is the problem.
Medicines. Where a hormonal cause exists, treating it properly can restore production. Clomiphene and hCG belong here, prescribed and monitored by a specialist.
Assisted conception. IUI where numbers are mildly reduced. ICSI, in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg, works with remarkably few sperm and transformed the outlook for severe male factor.
Surgical sperm retrieval. Where no sperm appear in the sample, they can often be recovered directly from the testis and used for ICSI.
What does not work
Testosterone, for the reasons above. Anything sold as a booster deserves the same suspicion until proven otherwise.
Unregulated herbal mixtures. No shame in having tried one. Still, none has been shown to restore sperm production, and some damage the liver. Tell your doctor what you are taking rather than hiding it.
Supplements alone. Zinc, selenium, CoQ10 and antioxidants have modest evidence for sperm quality. Treat them as support, never as a substitute for a semen analysis.
Waiting. Time only helps when something is actually changing, and male infertility in Nigeria rarely improves on its own.
These medicines are available at HubPharm
The medicines discussed in this article are available through HubPharm Africa. If your doctor prescribes any of the following, you can order them online or pay us a visit at the pharmacy.
Clomiphene Citrate for hormone support Order now
Zinc Supplement for sperm quality Order now
Vitamin E for male fertility Order now
Selenium for antioxidant support Order now
Bring your prescription or contact us via WhatsApp with any questions about medicines.
Common questions
Questions about the test and the result
Does a low count mean I cannot father a child?
No. Many men with low counts conceive naturally, and ICSI works with very small numbers.
Why repeat the test?
Because semen quality varies naturally between samples. One poor result decides nothing.
Is male infertility in Nigeria really that common?
Yes. It featured in 55 percent of the Nigerian couples in the study cited above. You are in the majority, not the exception.
Does frequency of sex affect the result?
Abstaining two to seven days before the test gives the fairest picture. Outside testing, regular sex through the fertile window beats saving up.
Questions about treatment
I take a testosterone booster from the gym. Should I stop?
Speak to a doctor first, and say plainly that you want children. Most men recover sperm production after stopping, and a specialist can help the process along.
How long before I see improvement?
Sperm take about three months to develop, so judge any change at three months rather than three weeks.
Will a varicocele operation definitely work?
It improves semen quality in selected men rather than all men. A urologist decides whether you are one of them.
Should my wife still get tested?
Yes, in parallel. Both partners can have a factor, and finding one does not exclude the other.
Getting help for male infertility in Nigeria
The hardest part of male infertility in Nigeria is walking in. Ultimately, everything after that is ordinary medicine, done quietly and without drama.
At HubPharm Africa, we source verified medicines through licensed channels and deliver across Nigeria. In addition, we coordinate refills so treatment does not lapse and put a pharmacist on the phone when you would rather ask a question quietly than ask it in a crowded shop. Furthermore, when Nigerian pharmacies do not routinely stock a product, we tell you honestly whether we can source it and what the lead time looks like, rather than letting you hope.
Book the semen analysis. Bring your wife or go alone, whichever gets you through the door this month.
[Talk to a HubPharm pharmacist →]
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This article is for general information and does not replace assessment by a doctor or urologist. Clomiphene and hCG for men are specialist prescriptions, and no medicine here should be started or stopped without advice.
References
- Aetiological pattern of infertility cases managed at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, North-Central Nigeria.
- WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen, sixth edition, 2021.
- Crosnoe LE et al. Exogenous testosterone: a preventable cause of male infertility. Translational Andrology and Urology.
- Testosterone is a contraceptive and should not be used in men who desire fertility. World Journal of Men’s Health.
- High prevalence of male infertility in southeastern Nigeria. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.