The Impact of Infertility on Infertile Men and Women in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria: A Qualitative Study
), Akin-Tunde A. Odukogbe(2), Sally Theobald(3), Xiaoyun Liu(4),
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Corresponding Author
Abstract
This study explored the impact of infertility on infertile men and women in Ibadan, Nigeria. The qualitative study design included the application of focus group discussions with community members (7 FGDs, n=42), in-depth interviews with infertile men (n=7), infertile women (n=8) and professionals (n=13). The findings revealed that infertile men and women and community members commonly perceived that contraceptives and abortion cause infertility, as well as supernatural and behavioural factors. Measures to prevent infertility were not well known by the participants. Infertility treatment is sought from a mixture of biomedical, faith-based and traditional service providers. Infertile women prioritize the psychological impact of infertility while infertile men prioritize the economic impact, and reported spending between 55-100% of their income to address infertility. Infertility has a serious social, psychological and economic impact on women and men’s lives. Efforts to reduce the impact should prioritize education on the causes, prevention and treatment of infertility, offer psychological support and ensure an efficient referral system for managing infertility (Afr J Reprod Health 2009; 13[3]:8598).
RĖSUMĖ
Impact de la stérilité sur les hommes et les femmes fertiles à Ibadan, Etat d’Oyo, Nigéria : Une étude qualitative. Cette étude a exploré l’impact de la stérilité sur les hommes et les femmes fertiles à Ibadan. Le modèle de l’étude qualitative comprenait l’application des discussions à groupe cible avec les membres de la communauté(7DGC, n=42), des interviews en profondeur avec les hommes stériles (n=7), les femmes stériles (n=8) et les professionnels(n=13). Ces résultats ont révélé que les hommes et les femmes stériles aussi bien que les membres de la communauté ont communément aperçu que les contraceptives et l’avortement sont des causes de la stérilité aussi bien que les facteurs surnaturels et de comportement. Les participants n’etaient pas bien au courant des mesures de la prévention de la stérilité. On recherchait le traitement pour la stérilité auprès d’un mélange des services biomédicaux, des services fondés sur la foi et des services traditionnels. Les femmes stériles donnent la priorité à l’impact psychologique de la stérilité tandis que les hommes stériles donnent la priorité à l’impact économique et ils ont indiqué avoir dépensé entre 55% et 100% de leur revenu à s’occuper de la stérilité. La stérilté à un grand impact social, psychologique et économique sur la vie des hommes et des femmes. Les efforts destinés à la réduction de son impact doivent donner la priorité à la sensibilisation aux causes, à la prévention et au traitement de la stérilité, fournir un appui psychologique et assurer un système d’orientation efficace pour la conduite du traitement de la stérilité (Afr J Reprod Health 2009; 13[3]:85-98).
KEYWORDS: Infertility, Perceptions, Social impact, Psychological impact, Economic Impact, Nigeria
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