The causes of infertility in women presenting to gynaecology clinics in Harare, Zimbabwe; a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND: Infertility affects 48.5 million couples globally. It is defined clinically as failure to conceive after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. The contribution of various aetiological factors to infertility differs per population. The causes of infertility have not been assessed in Zimbabwe. Our objectives were to determine the reproductive characteristics, causes and outcomes of women presenting for infertility care. METHODS: A retrospective and prospective study of women who had not conceived within a year of having unprotected intercourse presenting in private and public facilities in Harare was done. A diagnosis was made based on the history, examination and results whenever these were deemed sufficient. Data was analysed using STATA SE/15. A total of 216 women were recruited. RESULTS: Of the 216 women recruited, two thirds (144) of them had primary infertility. The overall period of infertility ranged from 1 to 21 years with an average of 5.6 ± 4.7 years whilst 98 (45.4%) of the couples had experienced 2–4 years of infertility and 94 (43.5%) had experience 5 or more years of infertility. About 1 in 5 of the women had irregular menstrual cycles with 10 of them having experienced amenorrhoea of at least 1 year. Almost half of the participants (49%) were overweight or obese. The most common cause for infertility was ‘unexplained’ in 22% of the women followed by tubal blockage in 20%, male factor in 19% and anovulation in 16%. Of the 49 (22.7%) women who conceived 21(9.7%) had a live birth while 23 (10.7%) had an ongoing pregnancy at the end of follow up. Thirty-seven (17.1%) had Assisted Reproduction Techniques (ART) in the form of Invitro-fertilisation/Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (IVF/ICSI) or Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI). Assisted Reproduction was significantly associated with conception. CONCLUSION: Most women present when chances of natural spontaneous conception are considerably reduced. This study shows an almost equal contribution between tubal blockage, male factor and unexplained infertility. Almost half of the causes are female factors constituted by tubal blockage, anovulation and a mixture of the two. Improved access to ART will result in improved pregnancy rates. Programs should target comprehensive assessment of both partners and offer ART. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40738-020-00093-0.