.. as 1st Abuja Reproductive Health Week holds

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

Fertility preservation in cancer and fibroids treatments as well as fibroids care and treatment options have been brought to the fore,especially as survival rate of young cancer patients continue to rise.

This is as some patients who look forward to life after cancer treatment face difficulties with fertility as a result of either from treatment or the disease itself.

Experts and stakeholders in the nation’s health sector while brainstorming at the just concluded maiden two-day Abuja Reproductive Health Week, harped on the need to tackle the long-term effects of cancer, especially with regards to reproduction.

Speakers at the event convened by Nordica Fertility Centre and Nordica Fibroids Care in collaboration with the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, through its Mandate Secretariat on Health Services and Environment, engaged participants on the need for eggs freezing during health challenges or when not comfortable child bearing.

They equally brought to the knowledge of participants the availability of noninvasive treatment of fibroids in the country, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The event which drew participants from both private and public medical facilities in the FCT, was convened to create awareness on existence of reproductive health care in the nation’s capital city

.

Speakers noted that within oncofertility, fertility preservation has become a key area of focus, with this now becoming a standard element of cancer care.

Setting the ball rolling for the two-day event that has also had two guest speakers, one for each day, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, CEO of Nordica Centre, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, explained that the event was convened to interact on latest developments in reproductive health care, particularly fertility preservation.

The fertility Specialist who is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, recalled that the Federal Capital Territory Administration signed a multilateral agreement almost in August 2023 ,to cater for the health of women with cancer.

” Today, we are all health care providers one way or the other. And so what we are going to be talking about today is fertility preservation. We know that in Abuja, the FCTA, together with the Federal Ministry of Health, signed a multilateral agreement almost in August 2023 to cater for the health of women with cancer.

“That is why we have chosen this topic as one of the first ones to start. Because we know now that well, cancer is a very common thing, especially childhood cancer. And the prognosis is getting better.

“Many people have survived cancer. But one of the things that happens along the way is that their reproductive capability is knocked out when they were trying to treat the cancer. And now that a lot of them are now surviving, how do they have children after surviving cancer. That is what we will be treating today,” he said.

Dr. Ajayi commended the Mandate Secretary of Health and Environment Services of the FCT, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, for making the dream of hosting the event comes through, explaining that even as the issue came up during his unscheduled meeting with her, the Mandate Secretary did not only approve the planned event but also followed through to see its realisation.

Speaking further, Dr. Ajayi said:” If everybody in Nigeria was like this (Fasawe), I’m sure the nation would move much, much faster”, recalling with mixed feelings that the same Public Private Partnership,PPP he tried to engage in the past and didn’t work out, had materialised.

“This PPP, I have tried to do it in the past and it was like speaking to people who speak Latin when you are speaking English. But this for me, has been an eye-opener, that we can say the same thing if we have the same goal. So I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for us.

“It’s making me to see this whole PPP thing in a new light. And I hope this might even lead to greater things if we can continue to speak the same language as we are speaking now, ” he added.

The Mandate Secretary of Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, while speaking, encouraged women diagnosed with fibroids not to nurse any fear, saying modern fibroids treatments don’t necessarily require surgery unlike in the past.

In similar manner,Dr. Fasawe urged people not to see cancer as a death sentence, saying beside surviving it, patientts can still have their biological children. This,he said can be easily be achieved through fertility preservation.

“The message to everyone here is that one fibroid today does not mean you are going to have your belly cut off, because there is a safer, quicker, easy-to-do procedure that will save the lives of women.

“Fibroid is a very common disease in women. Now there’s advanced care that doesn’t need surgery or downtime when you will be sick and all the complications, blood transfusions, that is available now.

“Also,it is possible to go through cancer treatment and still bear children. That is a great news. Cancer is not a death sentence, and it is not a ticket to barrenness in women anymore,”she said.

Recalling how she met Dr. Abayomi Ajayi and had discussion with him which resulted to donation of colposcopy machine to tackle cervical cancer among women in the FCT,she said:

“A couple of months, about a year ago, I met Dr. Ajayi at an event. And we had a good conversation, which led to the donation of a full colposcopy machine to FCT. And, not only donation, that machine has helped us jump from 0 to at least 60 percent.Because from that machine, at least 20 percent of our staff, if not 30 percent had the opportunity to check their cervix.”

She encouraged women to embark of early detection,noting that such action saves lives.

“A lot of people have all sorts of discharge, and they are treated for all sorts of things. Now, people understand cervical cancer and how the cervix behaves.Even if no warning signs, they need to at least have the two pap smears in their lifetime,”she said.

Expressing happiness that now,” younger ones know that there is an injection you can take that will protect you from this horrible disease the rest of your life”,she was optimistic that,” if this message is passed on from generation to generation, I think cervical cancer can really be a thing of the past in Nigeria and the FCT in particular. “

“I am happy about today because I see reverse tourism here.A lot of people go abroad just for comfort and the non-invasiveness. For people who are not medical experts here, it is now possible to treat a fibroid without cutting a big hole in our tummy and all of that. Abuja is leading, not only in the private sector, also in the public sector,”she said.

Describing the Reproductive Health Week, as the first of its kind in the FCT, Dr. Fasawe said “we will be known very soon for being the champions in reproductive health issues, women issues, and fertility issues.”

“With what is going on here, Abuja will soon be known as the apex center for women care in Nigeria,”she added.

On her part,a consultant gynaecologist and fertility expert at Nordica, Dr. Ifeoluwa Oyetunji, while featuring as a guest speaker on day-one of the event, deeply engaged participants in her presentation on the topic: “Fertility Preservation In Cancer Treatment.”

Informing participants that unlike before, cancer is no longer a ‘death sentence,,Oyetunji explained that people choose fertility preservation to safeguard their future reproductive potential, often due to medical treatments like cancer therapy, delaying parenthood, or other health conditions that could negatively impact fertility.

She defined fertility preservation as the process of “saving eggs, sperm, or reproductive tissue so that individuals can use them later for biological children.”

“While it is not a new concept globally, it is gaining attention in Nigeria as more people become aware of their options. Many cancer survivors face reproductive challenges due to treatment effects. Early discussions on fertility preservation can help them make informed decisions and avoid regrets later,”she said.

Oyetunji explained that the technology in fertility preservation has greatly advanced resulting in high successful outcomes just as she informed that the recovery rate for preserved eggs and sperm has improved to over 95 percent presently.

Some cancer survivors and women who have undergone noninvasive treatment method, especially at Nordical Centre took turns to give testimonies at the event which organisers said, would now be held annually.