Hot!
Infertility issues: Women advised to examine partner’s scrotum
● Dr. Dixie Constantini
Women have been advised to cultivate the habit of frequently examining the scrotum of their spouses with their fingers to see if it is of abnormal size.
This practice is more likely to help them (the women) see if there is a problem with the scrotum so that their partners will seek medical assistance from a Urologist as early as possible especially in cases where the couple has been trying to conceive.
“Infertility isn’t only a woman’s problem. Sometimes the men are the problem, too, and so you could gently help him examine his scrotum with your finger from time to time but do not press it too hard as this could cause pain”.
A Specialist Obstetrician Gynaecologist with the Women’s Health Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dr Dixie Constantini said these in an interview with The Spectator on Wednesday.
She noted that varicocele which was a cause of infertility in men made the veins in a man’s scrotum (the sac where the testicles are found) sometimes be a little dilated than normal.
“This usually happens during the teenage years and can grow larger with time and is usually found on the left side and could be felt by touching the scrotum” she disclosed.
She said that the condition may not be painful in some men but for others, sometimes they could cause pain or a bit of discomfort especially after the man had been engaged in a task that involved long hours of standing.
She said diagnosis was easily confirmed via ultrasound of the scrotum.
“When the veins are dilated in this area , we say there is a varicocele present and varicoceles usually do not need to be surgically fixed if they don’t cause any problems” Dr. Constantini said.
She warned that varicocele could cause fertility problems in men though some men might have it and have no problem with their fertility and so it was important that a Urologist was contacted to know which category one belonged.
“Having a varicocele can affect the temperature in or around the testicle. If the temperature is too high, it can affect sperm formation, movement and function. This can lead to low sperm production and decreased sperm quality, which can cause infertility” she said.
She said it was unfortunate that some men were unable to father a child just because of this problem that was easily solvable by visiting a urologist.
She assured that once fixed, getting a partner pregnant was usually possible, either naturally or via In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).
She said it was important that couples who were trying to conceive should get both tested .
“Don’t get tested alone. Go with your partner to get checked too” she advised women to prevent delays in conception.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Tema.
President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned four career diplomats as ambassador-designates to represent Ghana in four countries.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The new envoys are Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ambassador-Designate to Angola; His Excellency Louis Kwame Obeng, Ambassador-Designate to Qatar; Her Excellency Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable, Ambassador-Designate to Israel; and His Excellency Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Permanent Representative-Designate to Switzerland.
President Mahama charged them to advance Ghana’s national interests through strategic partnerships, economic diplomacy, investment mobilization, and expanded access to international markets.
He said Ghana’s diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s standing on the international stage.
The four envoys are career diplomats with over 27 years of experience.
On behalf of her colleagues, Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to emulate his leadership and deliver on the mandate given to them.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
