Up to 17 percent of Malawians of reproductive age are struggling to have children, turning the dream of parenthood into years of pain, blame and costly searches for answers.
For some couples, the desperation has pushed them from hospitals to traditional healers and, in some cases, towards expensive treatment abroad running into millions of kwacha.
One Blantyre couple has spent five years trying to have a child, visiting health facilities and a traditional healer in Mangochi without success.
The husband, who asked not to be named, said they have now been advised to seek specialized treatment outside Malawi, leaving them facing another potentially crippling bill in their search for a baby.
In Lilongwe, infertility nearly destroyed another marriage after Emmanuel, who had fathered a child in a previous marriage, initially blamed his wife for their failure to conceive.
But medical tests at Kamuzu Central Hospital revealed that the problem was blocked fallopian tubes.
After treatment, the couple eventually became parents to a child who is now one year old.
Kamuzu University of Health Sciences sexual and reproductive health lecturer and Blantyre District Health Office senior medical officer Dr Zaziwe Gunda said infertility affects about 17 percent of Malawian couples aged between 20 and 44.
Gunda said the figure highlights a problem that remains poorly understood, with women often carrying the blame despite infertility affecting both men and women.
She said common causes among women include ovulation disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome, thyroid disease, premature ovarian failure, obesity and other hormonal imbalances.
Damage to the fallopian tubes, often resulting from untreated sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhoea and chlamydia, is also a major cause.
Professor Fanuel Lampiao, a biomedical scientist and male reproductive health expert at KUHeS, said studies in Malawi have recorded infertility rates ranging from two to 17 percent, depending on the population studied.
He said increasing numbers of couples are seeking medical attention as awareness grows that infertility can be managed by health professionals.
Lampiao said smoking, substance abuse and being overweight can also contribute to fertility problems.
Ministry of Health Director of Reproductive Health Dr Owen Chikhwaza estimated that about 10 percent of couples in Malawi experience infertility, although available studies have produced figures ranging from eight to 20 percent.
Chikhwaza said government plans to commission a national study to establish the true scale of infertility across the country.
He said health professionals increasingly use the term “subfertility” because many couples can conceive after the underlying cause has been identified and treated.
For couples who cannot conceive through conventional treatment, assisted reproductive technologies such as in-vitro fertilisation could offer another option.
However, Malawi currently has limited access to such services, while the Ministry of Health is working on legislation aimed at creating an environment for investment in assisted reproductive services
For some couples, the desperation has pushed them from hospitals to traditional healers and, in some cases, towards expensive treatment abroad running into millions of kwacha.
One Blantyre couple has spent five years trying to have a child, visiting health facilities and a traditional healer in Mangochi without success.
The husband, who asked not to be named, said they have now been advised to seek specialized treatment outside Malawi, leaving them facing another potentially crippling bill in their search for a baby.
In Lilongwe, infertility nearly destroyed another marriage after Emmanuel, who had fathered a child in a previous marriage, initially blamed his wife for their failure to conceive.
But medical tests at Kamuzu Central Hospital revealed that the problem was blocked fallopian tubes.
After treatment, the couple eventually became parents to a child who is now one year old.
Kamuzu University of Health Sciences sexual and reproductive health lecturer and Blantyre District Health Office senior medical officer Dr Zaziwe Gunda said infertility affects about 17 percent of Malawian couples aged between 20 and 44.
Gunda said the figure highlights a problem that remains poorly understood, with women often carrying the blame despite infertility affecting both men and women.
She said common causes among women include ovulation disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome, thyroid disease, premature ovarian failure, obesity and other hormonal imbalances.
Damage to the fallopian tubes, often resulting from untreated sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhoea and chlamydia, is also a major cause.
Professor Fanuel Lampiao, a biomedical scientist and male reproductive health expert at KUHeS, said studies in Malawi have recorded infertility rates ranging from two to 17 percent, depending on the population studied.
He said increasing numbers of couples are seeking medical attention as awareness grows that infertility can be managed by health professionals.
Lampiao said smoking, substance abuse and being overweight can also contribute to fertility problems.
Ministry of Health Director of Reproductive Health Dr Owen Chikhwaza estimated that about 10 percent of couples in Malawi experience infertility, although available studies have produced figures ranging from eight to 20 percent.
Chikhwaza said government plans to commission a national study to establish the true scale of infertility across the country.
He said health professionals increasingly use the term “subfertility” because many couples can conceive after the underlying cause has been identified and treated.
For couples who cannot conceive through conventional treatment, assisted reproductive technologies such as in-vitro fertilisation could offer another option.
However, Malawi currently has limited access to such services, while the Ministry of Health is working on legislation aimed at creating an environment for investment in assisted reproductive services
