South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Manyang David Mayar
This year marks Suzan’s fourth wedding anniversary, but she said there is little to celebrate. Since her marriage four years ago, she has never conceived. Suzan, not her real name, requested anonymity for fear of reprisal.
In an exclusive interview, she said the challenge is not only the absence of conception, but also the pressure from her husband’s relatives who have placed the blame entirely on her.
“My husband only comes occasionally to the clinic. But my marital family always think it is my fault that there is no child. That is why I have taken it upon myself to be coming here all the time to see the doctor”, Suzan explained.
She added that she has made countless visits to a fertility specialist at Queens Clinic in Juba, all in an effort to understand why she cannot get pregnant. Oftentimes, she is told that there are no serious fertility complications in her reproductive system.
According to medical experts in Juba, Suzan is only a victim of some negative cultural beliefs that connect infertility to women, a stigma that has pushed many women into cycles of emotional abuse, forced divorce, or violence.
But a new University of Juba study challenges this deeply rooted belief. The research shows a rising trend of male infertility in Juba, exposing a stereotype that unfairly blames women for the inability to conceive.
During the recently concluded 4th annual scientific conference organized by the Association of Gynecologists and Obstetricians of South Sudan (AGOSS), Dr. Garang Dakjur, Assistant Professor at the University of Juba, revealed that male infertility remains severely neglected in the country.
“Male infertility is often considered a female problem in this country. This study was conducted to examine that perception”, he said.
The research analyzed 2,287 semen samples collected at Queens Clinic between 2020 and 2021. Shockingly, 84% of the samples showed abnormalities, a finding Dr. Garang described as “very worrying.”
He said most common abnormalities included poor sperm motility (sperm unable to swim effectively toward the egg), and low sperm count. According to the World Health Organization, normal sperm count ranges between 10 – 39 million sperms.
Dr. Garang recommended further studies to establish the cause of male infertility in Juba.
A sigh of relief
The new findings of the research were received with a sigh of relief by some women in Juba, with some noting that countless wives have been divorced or mistreated because men assumed infertility was always the woman’s fault.
According to Dr. Janet Michael, Director General for Nursing and Midwifery Services at the National Ministry of Health, male infertility has long been hidden behind some harmful cultural practices, as communities prefer to keep sexual health issues secret. She said the growing number of nuclear families in urban areas is now revealing the extent of neglected male infertility.
“There was no man who was supposed to be infertile as long as he had an erection. What always happened was that the woman would eventually get pregnant and nobody would realize who got her pregnant,” Dr. Janet explained.
Dr. Janet added that even in churches, prayers often focus solely on blessing “the woman’s womb,” without considering that the man might also have a reproductive issue.
Meanwhile, Dr. Garang called for stronger public awareness campaigns, urging couples to seek medical attention together whenever fertility problems arise in the family. Despite limited public awareness, some men are gradually recognizing that infertility can stem from both partners.
Deng, not his real name, is among the few men who understand the importance of seeking reproductive health care alongside their wives.
While waiting in line to see a fertility specialist at Queens Clinic in Juba recently, Deng told this newspaper that he has consulted several fertility doctors over the last two years as he and his wife continue to hope for a child.
“For you to get a child, it is not a one-person work. It involves both of you”, Deng said. That is why I have come with her. Even if she is the one who has a problem, I must also come so that the doctor can screen me if I might be having a problem also or if both of us have problem”.
“This story is reported with a grant from Journalists for Human Rights under the ‘Tackling Mis/Disinformation Project,’ funded by the Peace and Stabilization Program of the Government of Canada.”
