Get Guardian on Google‘Endocrine-disrupting chemicals could impair reproductive systems’
Obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Okechukwu Ikpeze, has called for stronger collaboration among government, healthcare professionals and development partners to address Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rate.
Ikpeze, who delivered the eighth Abimbola Omololu-Mulele Yearly Lecture in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the College of Medicine, the University of Lagos (UNILAG), spoke against the backdrop of the 2023 maternal mortality ratio of 993 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Human Reproduction Through Evolutionary Perils: Moving Nigerian Women from Danger to Safety’, he noted that maternal deaths have remained a major public health challenge in the country despite several government interventions and international partnerships.
He noted that the ratio declined marginally from 1,094 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2010, adding that the figure remains significantly above the adjusted target of 140 deaths per 100,000 live births for high-burden countries, including Nigeria, by 2030.
According to him, maternal mortality is not merely a statistical issue but represents the loss of mothers, wives, sisters, daughters and breadwinners whose deaths affect families and communities.
He identified haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, sepsis, unsafe abortion and obstructed labour among the leading medical causes of maternal deaths, stating that timely access to skilled healthcare, early detection of complications and prompt medical intervention could prevent many of these deaths.
On his part, the Chairman of the Institute of Reproductive Health, Lagos, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru, raised concerns about the effects of environmental chemicals on human reproductive health.
Ashiru, who was the chairman of the occasion, said endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in pesticides, plastics, cosmetics, food and household products could affect the reproductive systems of both men and women.
He explained that prolonged exposure to such chemicals could contribute to menstrual disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, miscarriage and declining sperm quality.
Adding that exposure during pregnancy could also affect the reproductive and metabolic health of unborn children, with possible consequences for subsequent generations, Ashiru called for stronger regulation of hazardous substances, increased research into environmental toxins and public education on ways to reduce exposure.
Meanwhile, Ikpeze highlighted the Federal Government’s Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII), which focuses on improving emergency obstetric care, training frontline health workers, strengthening emergency transportation and providing essential medical commodities.
Other components include improved clinical guidelines, local production of maternal healthcare supplies, and the adoption of the E-MOTIVE protocol for managing postpartum haemorrhage.
However, he identified inadequate funding, shortage of skilled health workers, weak referral systems, limited access to essential medicines and socio-cultural barriers as challenges affecting the implementation of maternal health policies.
