No woman is born barren. On a scale of hundred, thirty percent reason for infertility is due to health related factors in men, another thirty percent can be traced to the female gender, while another thirty percent can be traced to both male and Female factors, just as the remaining ten percent can be awarded to unexplained infertility. 

These were the words of a panelist during the Bountiis Health Forum 6.0, Dr. Rabiu Fatimat, who also revealed that there are a lot of unnecessary burden that women shoulder as a member of the society and wife, emphasising that infertility should never be stereotyped as a female gender issue.

Access24 recalls that the Health Forum 6.0, with the theme “Breaking The Cycle; Reclaiming hormones health & Hope, was organised on Sunday, in the Surulere part of Lagos State, by popular Nigerian leading non-governmental charity initiative, Bountiis.

The Gynecologist revealed that over the years the issue of infertility has been stereotyped to be a female gender issue alone, stressing that there are a number of underlying health issues that can make men infertile also.

She said; “The theme of our conference is; “Healing Within.” There are a lot of burden that women carry as a member of the society, as a wife, as a sister, as somebody working in a company.

“Let us take this for instance a couple that is being seen by a Gynecologist for infertility, the woman already feels like she is the one that has the problem, when in actual fact, it takes two to tangle. What we are trying to preach is that in such health condition the woman and man are potential suspects, that why we keep saying couples should always go for tests when there is an issue conceiving,” Dr. Fatimat added.

The Gynecologist therefore advocated that "Healing within" comes when a woman learns to lessen the burden the society has placed on herself both spiritual and mentally, just as she urged husbands to always accompany their wives to the hospital during medical check-up.

Dr. Fatimat, further laid emphasis on eradicating stigmatization towards women and couples who are infertile, stating that the health condition cannot be narrowed down to the female gender alone.

“In the actual fact the woman would always want to take the blame, because I think that’s how the female gender was brought up to take responsibilities, that our nature, hence we advocating for a change in narrative.

“When Infertility is the case, it takes two to tangle, it is not just the woman that is in the marriage, the man can be the cause of infertility also,“ Dr. Fatimat stressed.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Head of Logistics, of Bountiis Initiative, Kudirat Adeshina, while briefing Access24 during the Health Forum 6.0, said the seminar was organized in a way to impact women and their families on the essence of sound health and wellness, in a bid to affect their life choices positively, moving forward.

Adeshina also revealed that participants who need health intervention were given the opportunity to meet with seasoned health specialist that would proffer possible solutions to their various health challenges, creating a bridge between patients and health professionals.

She noted that; “Muslima Health Forum is an event organized to educate Muslim women about their health, wellness on how to prevent medical issues. You can see here today, we have panelist ranging from consultants gynecologist, physiatrist dieticians, a lot of health experts are on ground to educate women about their health and wellbeing.

“When it comes to infertility, there is this stereotype that points at the direction of women/Wifes. We all know that it takes two to tangle, so when it comes to infertility, I cannot just be narrowed down to women, because there is a man and a woman in the relationship.

“The Nigerian society should be more open minded, they should be more gracious towards the women folk such that when we have a case of infertility among couples, we should look at both directions; both the man and the woman.

“In a case of infertility, the couple should subject themselves to evaluation, which would be for the best interest of the parties involved, rather than stigmatizing the woman. If at the end of the day, haven followed medical intervention, and the result points at the woman, there should be support instead of criticism and mockery, after which a proper medical intervention should be sought.

“In a nutshell infertility should not be seen as a woman problem, rather the society should be more compassionate and gracious towards the woman, give all the support and reduce stigmatization to infertility,” Adeshina said.

Shearing their experience at the Bountiis Health Forum 6.0, some of the participants thanked the organizers for always being on the lookout for the health of Nigerian women, as they also implored other women to always be a part of the initiative, stressing that it also provides the opportunity to rub-minds on different health and societal issues facing women.

One of the participants, Riscor Sadiq-Lasaki, said; “It has been an enriching experience. This is not my first time attending programs organized by Bountiis and I always look forward to attending.

"It is a forum specifically designed for Muslim women where you are able to ask questions regarding your health, because you are sure you are in good hands, because they bring facilitators that are authorities in their field,” Sadiq-Lasaki stated.

Another participant, Dr. Aziz Abdu-Alafia, noted that; “I really learnt a lot. Let’s start with spiritual guidance as relating with coping with everyday issues for example those stress that come with our daily activities. We were given spiritual guidance on how to cope with such stress.

"We also had experts talk about female health issues, how to manage them and what possible solutions can help out. Now I can also impact women in my community about all the things I learnt here today. I am so happy to have participated,” She added.

Access24 reports that Bountiis Health Forum 6.0 featured; Expert health sessions, Free health screening, Interactive group chat, Onsite SPA &GYM.