Causes of Infertility of Couples Residing in Libreville

Introduction: According to the World Health Organization, globally one in six people experience infertility in their lifetime. Infertility is considered as a major and global public health issue. In most cases, women bear the burden of infertility to protect the male ego. Although men and women are equally likely to have fertility problems. The aim of this study was to identify the causes of infertility of couples residing in Libreville. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study performed over 2 years, from 1^st January 2021 to 31^st December 2022. Data was obtained from 162 couples attending the assisted reproduction department of the mother and child hospitals in Libreville. Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics version 22.0 software. Results: During the study period, 28.5% of couples could afford IVF treatment. The average for woman age was 39.1 ± 4.06 while the average age for male patients was 41.53 ± 7.08 years with minimum and maximum age of 34 et 66 years. More than half (58.6%) of female partners were employed in the public sector. Half of the male partners (50%) were employed in the private sector. The median duration of infertility was 6 years. Approximately 49.4% of couples were diagnosed with primary infertility. The most common causes of infertility in female patients were Fallopian tubes obstruction (53.2%), uterine factors (24.2%) and hormonal problems (19.6%). With regards to male factors infertility, testicular causes were predominant (53.6%). Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia were the major semen abnormalities (55.7%) found after semen evaluation. Both male and female partners were sub-fertile in 47.5% of cases. Unexplained infertility was found in 11% of couples. Conclusion: This study showed that the diagnostic of infertility faced by couples residing in Libreville should involve both male and female partner.