Maternal health specialists have warned that it is dangerous for women experiencing infertility to use fertility drugs without a doctor’s prescription and supervision. According to them, abusing fertility drugs comes with severe risks and consequences. They expressed concern that most of the drugs can be easily purchased or sold over the counter without any proper investigation or prescription by a qualified doctor, disclosing that many women do not understand the dangers of abusing fertility drugs.
A professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Northwest Nigeria, Solomon Avidime, said that women abusing ovulation induction drugs by engaging in self-medication unknowingly make conception more difficult. The gynaecologist said, “It is not advisable for women to ordinarily commence taking ovulation drugs except on doctor’s prescription considering the attendant consequences. “The drugs can cause Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. OHSS when it occurs may be in its mild form or become a severe life-threatening condition. “Women that developed OHSS can have symptoms like fluid accumulation and tense abdominal distension, shortness of breath, abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. They may also have rapid weight gain, body swelling, and low urinary output.”
Despite Nigeria’s high fertility rate, which is said to be 5.3 births per woman and also one of the highest in the world, experts say a lot of Nigerian couples are experiencing infertility.
