Stakeholders in reproductive health have called for stronger regulation of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) in Nigeria and improved maternal care for women undergoing fertility treatment.
The call was made on Wednesday during a valedictory lecture delivered by the guest lecturer, Professor Joseph Olamijulo of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), in honour of Professor Abidoye Gbadegesin, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Ikeja.
The lecture, titled: “How Safe is Motherhood with Assisted Reproductive Technology in Nigeria?”, examined the benefits, risks and future of fertility treatment in the country, while celebrating Gbadegesin’s contributions to maternal and reproductive health.
Speaking at the event, Olamijulo described ART as one of the most significant advances in modern medicine, noting that it has restored hope to millions of couples struggling with infertility.
According to him, more than 13 million babies have been born worldwide through ART, while about 2.5 million IVF cycles are carried out annually. He added that Nigeria now has about 100 registered ART centres, following the pioneering efforts of fertility specialists in the country.
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Despite the success of fertility treatments, Olamijulo cautioned that pregnancies achieved through ART often come with additional risks that require specialised care.
He explained that women seeking ART are frequently older and may have underlying health conditions such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disorders, all of which increase the likelihood of pregnancy complications.
Olamijulo identified complications associated with ART pregnancies to include pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, placenta praevia, anaemia, postpartum haemorrhage, preterm birth and adverse perinatal outcomes.
He also expressed concern over the prevalence of multiple embryo transfers, which often result in multiple pregnancies and significantly increase maternal and neonatal risks.
To improve outcomes, the don recommended comprehensive pre-pregnancy assessments for women before commencing fertility treatment, stressing that underlying medical conditions should be identified and optimised.
Other recommendations included the development of evidence-based national ART guidelines, promotion of elective single-embryo transfer, and discouragement of questionable IVF practices such as routine multiple embryo transfers and indiscriminate “freeze-all” procedures except where medically justified.
He advocated stronger collaboration among fertility specialists, obstetricians, physicians, cardiologists and other healthcare professionals involved in maternal care, as well as improved maternal surveillance systems to monitor outcomes and guide policy decisions.
The professor further called for expanded research into ART outcomes in Nigeria, noting that available data remain limited and largely focus on pregnancy and live birth rates rather than maternal morbidity and mortality.
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