The cost of fertility treatment in Nigeria is soaring beyond what most couples can afford. With treatment cycles running between N1.2 million and over N4 million per attempt, parenthood through assisted reproduction has become a luxury many Nigerians simply cannot access.
Public health spending in the country ranks among the world's lowest, forcing households to pay for nearly all medical care out of their own pockets. Fertility services have become one of the starkest examples of how this financing gap locks people out of essential healthcare.
Demand for IVF and other fertility treatments is climbing across Nigeria. Delayed marriage, shifting lifestyles, greater awareness of infertility issues, and advances in reproductive technology are all driving couples to seek help.
Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, managing director of Nordica Fertility Centre, said his clinic has seen surging demand over the past five years.
He credited two main factors: better public awareness and a sharp rise in male infertility cases.
"About 12 percent of men who came to us had no sperm at all," Ajayi told BusinessDay. "That means, regardless of what they do, they may not be able to impregnate their partners."
An interesting shift is occurring within Nigeria's fertility sector. More Nigerians living overseas are now returning home for IVF treatment instead of seeking care abroad, suggesting growing confidence in local clinics despite affordability struggles.
The challenge Nigeria faces reflects a global reality. The World Health Organization estimates that around one in six adults worldwide experience infertility during their reproductive years, making it one of the most common health conditions globally.
Yet fertility care remains largely absent from universal health coverage schemes in many countries, especially lower and middle-income nations. This gap perpetuates inequality in access to treatment.
Male and female infertility occur in roughly equal numbers, contrary to long-held beliefs that childlessness primarily affects women. The causes can involve male factors, female factors, or a combination of both, though some cases remain unexplained.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasised the scope of the problem when releasing the organisation's global infertility data. "Infertility does not discriminate," he said.
"The sheer proportion of people affected shows the need to widen access to fertility care and ensure this issue is no longer sidelined in health research and policy, so that safe, effective, and affordable ways to attain parenthood are available for those who seek it."
For Nigerian couples, affordability represents the real barrier to fertility treatment. Unlike many other essential health services, fertility care is almost never covered by insurance, leaving patients to fund everything themselves.
