INFERTILITY PERCEIVED CAUSES AND EXPERIENCES IN RURAL SOUTHWEST ETHIOPIA

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The experience of infertility causes harsh, poignant and unique difficulties to infertile individuals. In Ethiopia, very little has been explored regarding the way people perceive and experience infertility. This study attempted to describe perceived causes, experiences and perceptions of infertility in rural Ethiopia. METHODS: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 12-26, 2005. Two hundred twenty-five randomly selected infertile individuals were included in the study. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was employed for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS for windows Version 11.0. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-five infertile (167 women and 58 men) individuals participated in the study. The perceived cause of infertility in this study was mainly mystical power. One hundred Twenty (53.3%) of the respondents reported God's wrath as the cause of infertility and 134 (59.6%) noted that it could be cured. The frequently reported methods of cure were God's will 57 (42.5%) followed by modern medicine 56(41.8%). Forty-three (19 %) had history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and 62(28%) had extra marital sex for the sake of child bearing. Eighty-four (37.3%) of the participants faced some difficulty related to their infertility, One hundred thirty seven (60.9%) of the respondents hope to have a child in the future. CONCLUSION: This study showed that there is lack of knowledge of both causes and treatment of infertility in the study community. Therefore, community-based programs to increase public awareness and to reduce myths related to infertility are needed. Further community based study is recommended.