Beware of Facebook posts promoting an ‘all-natural supplement’ for low sperm count
IN SHORT: Several Facebook posts promote a mixture that can “boost low sperm count” in men. However, the supplement is not backed up by any scientific evidence and is not registered with Nigeria’s drug control agency.
Warning: The social media posts mentioned in this report include links to a suspicious website with explicit sexual content.
A Facebook post advertises an “all-natural supplement” that it claims can boost sperm count in men.
Part of the 24 January 2025 post reads: “This is for Any Man Above 30yrs Old Battling With Low Sperm Count who want to Boost Their Sperm Count … We partnered with Fertility experts to formulate Fertiplus Sperm Boom all-natural supplement that is scientifically proven to improve sperm count and motility, support healthy sperm production, lower inflammation and improves blood circulation.”
Low sperm count, or oligospermia, occurs when there are fewer than 15 million sperm in one milliliter of semen. Normal sperm densities range from 15 million to over 200 million sperm per millilitre of semen.
A man with a low sperm count may need surgery to treat blocked sperm ducts, hormone supplements, or antibiotics for infections.
The post attaches a link for users to place their orders.
But can this supplement be trusted? We checked.
Other posts promoting the same product can be found here, here and here.
Red flags
We clicked the link in the Facebook post, which directed us to a website with a green button that read: “Are you ready to get the solution? Click here.”
Clicking on the button led us to another website that featured explicit sexual content and a positive testimonial from a person claiming to have benefitted from the supplement. This is uncharacteristic of a reputable company promoting a legit product.
A part of the website claimed: “This product is NOT just KNOWN to NAFDAC, it also has International APPROVAL by NAFDAC, HALAL, Aloe Science Council, Kosher Rating, etc.”
Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (Nafdac) is a government agency that regulates, monitors, and ensures the quality of food and drugs.
We searched for “Fertiplus” and “Fertiplus Sperm Boom” on Nafdac’s database of registered drugs but came up empty. The claim that the supplement has been approved by Nafdac may be intended to convince users that it is legit.
We found no evidence on the websites that the supplement was scientifically proven, as claimed in the Facebook post.
Additionally, interested users are asked to fill out a form with their personal details, including their name, delivery address, phone number and the package they want. This is a tactic known as phishing. Scammers use it to get users to divulge their personal information, which can be used for identity theft.
‘Herbal mixtures cannot be trusted’
Ayowale Kenneth, a general practitioner at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria, warned the public to be wary of herbal mixtures advertised on social media.
“We see these posts every time and always advise our patients to go to a good hospital instead. Some of these drugs do not work; they are just advertised in ways that convince innocent people to purchase them.”
More posts advertising the supplement can be found here, here, here, here and here.
