20% of Ugandan couples grapple with infertility

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Increasingly, many Ugandan couples are grappling with childlessness due to mental health issues.

Dr. Joseph Muhumuza, a fertility expert from Roswell Women and Children Hospital in Kampala, advises couples to avoid things that cause stress.

If conceiving becomes difficult, the first step is to stay calm. "The pressure is usually big," says Dr. Muhumuza, and stress alone is enough to affect a woman’s ability to conceive."

Next, it’s important to seek expert medical help. Doctors can investigate the underlying causes and recommend possible solutions.

“Even when you do tests and results indicate everything is okay, it is important to avoid anxiety,” he says.

Dr Muhumuza was speaking under the theme: “Managing Fertility” at the 16th Bride and Groom 2025 at UMA Multipurpose Hall in Lugogo, Kampala.

Fertility refers to the ability to conceive and have children. However, this does not happen for some couples who, after engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse for 12 months, are diagnosed with infertility.

Types of infertility

Dr. Muhumuza categorised infertility as primary and the secondary. A couple is diagnosed with primary infertility if a woman has never conceived. Meanwhile, secondary infertility happens if a couple may previously have conceived, but later they struggle to conceive again.

The burden

He estimated that out of 100 couples, he sees about 20 percent of those grapple with fertility problems, consequently failing to conceive. Of those, the women contribute about 35% to 40% of the causes. The men also take an equal share when eventually screened, Dr. Muhumuza noted.

He added that in about 10% of the couples struggling to conceive, the cause cannot be identified.

Causes of infertility

He highlighted the major cause of infertility in women as blocked fallopian tubes a condition which results of infections including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), recurrent miscarriages, and poorly conducted surgeries.

Your fallopian tubes are an important passageway for an egg and a sperm to meet and for a fertilised egg (embryo) to make its way to your uterus. The health of your fallopian tubes impacts your fertility. Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes can make it difficult for individuals and couples to become pregnant, he noted.

Others causes of blocked fallopian tubes include: endometriosis (a health condition which causes a lot of pain), hormonal imbalance, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and age as a result of reduced number of eggs.

Sometimes, medics check the uterus for fibroids, which are a common occurrence lately, he said.

Infertility among men

Dr Castrol Kasuule a fertility expert from Alexandra Medical Centre, said infertility among men is on the rise. He estimated that out of ten couples struggling to conceive, about three have issues related to male infertility, with low sperm and poor quality high on the list.

“When it gets to conception, we want sperms that are normal, that are of good number and looking very well,” Dr Kasuule said. In addition, the sperm should be able to swim very well, a practice he described as “purposeful forward movement”.

According to World Health Organisation guidelines, a single ejaculation should contain about 15 million sperms.

All is not gloom for couples grappling with infertility. Dr. Muhumuza said treatment is available and based on the cause. He highlighted some of the treatment options as egg stimulation, artificial insemination and InVitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment – where eggs and sperm are fused outside the body- in a test tube and inserted into the woman’s womb through the cervix.

Dr. Muhumuza assured couples that infertility has been simplified, and every couple should be able to have a child either naturally or through assisted reproductive therapy, the only limitation is the cost.