Matrix System Failure? Nigerian Prof of Gynecology on How Igbo-Ora City Became Global Twin Capital

The reason for the high incidence of twin births in Igbo-Ora (about 50 per 1,000 births) may be the okra plant, or rather its specific variety growing in the city, as well as the way it is prepared, professor of gynecology Friday E. Okonofua at the University of Benin, Nigeria and centre leader of the Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation, told Sputnik Africa.

He and his team conducted a qualitative study in Igbo-Ora, during which they carried out in-depth interviews with focus groups and held meetings with community leaders and key informants. The researchers asked questions of interest to better understand the phenomenon.

"From the studies we did in Igbo-Ora, they [locals] believe that it's due to their consumption of some type of vegetable, which is called okra. [...] Okra is consumed all over Nigeria, but they say there's a specific variety of okra that they have in Igbo-Ora. And also, there's a methodology with which they produce it that leads to twinning. [...] The soup must be prepared in such a way using the water that comes from the well in Igbo-Ora. So it is believed that that's what causes it." Okonofua shared.

As true scientists, the professor and his team decided to test whether okra really had special properties through animal experiments. They added okra to the diet of one group of animals, in the same form in which locals consume it, while the other group was on a different diet.

"We found out that when they were mated together, the animals fed with okra had more babies, had more births (what you call litter size), as compared to those that were fed with the normal diet," the prof. shared interesting results.

However, as Okonofua noted, their research is not yet complete. It is now crucial to identify which chemical elements in the plant affect fertility.

Interestingly, it was previously believed that the twin baby boom was influenced by another plant — yam. However, according to the professor, yams have nothing to do with it, as the vegetable is consumed throughout the country, yet "there are no other regions in Nigeria with similar rates of twins" except Igbo-Ora.

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But what about genetics? Doesn't it play a role, one may ask?

Scientists are also investigating this potential contributing factor. Epigenetic studies are currently being conducted. They have not yet identified a connection or causation between the increased birth rate of twins and genetics, but it is too early to draw any definitive conclusions, Okonofua explained.

Multiple Births, Multiple Problems

Despite Nigerians welcoming and celebrating the birth of twins and sometimes even requesting the transfer of several embryos through IVF, twin pregnancies and the generally high fertility in the country pose challenges to the Nigerian healthcare system, the professor underlined.

"Multiple births come with a lot of health system challenges in terms of incidence of preterm delivery, smaller babies, [...] and babies that are not very strong at the time of birth. Nigeria currently has one of the highest rates of perinatal mortality in the world — stillbirth rates," Okonofua revealed.

One important way to reduce the birth rate in the country and thereby ease the burden on the healthcare system is through women's empowerment, which includes increasing the level of education for girls and educating women about family planning, the professor believed.

"Today in the center [Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation in Nigeria], we talk about women's empowerment. Part of the project I do is to empower women. Once women are empowered, they have the knowledge to use family planning and to speak on their own," Okonofua concluded.