Abstract:
Infertility or childlessness is a major reproductive health issue for females as well as males respectively.
Many couples suffer from infertility worldwide and in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has a cultural
preference for high fertility; women shoulder the highest infertility consequences. The objective of this
review was therefore to explore socially acceptable and culturally effective reproductive health
strategies for the social management of infertility in sub-Sahara Africa. Different databases were
searched to source articles on infertility in Sub-Saharan Africa. The databases included Medline,
Pubmed and Fudan University library. Google scholar was also utilized to get additional relevant
articles. Titles and abstracts of the articles searched were critically evaluated for relevance based on
the inclusion criteria. Final extraction of the articles was done by getting only those studies that met
the inclusion criteria. Twenty articles were identified and five were included in this review. The
findings reveal three main themes: perception, health seeking behavior and the social impact of
infertility. In many Sub-Saharan Africa societies, there is negative perception of infertility problem as
such those affected do not seek medical attention early. There is also a disproportionate social impact
of infertility on women in the region. In Sub-Saharan Africa, high value is placed on children and those
who are infertile are greatly stigmatized. In such a setting, the concept of reproductive health should
include policies which could make it possible for couples and the whole society aware of the reality of
infertility as a reproductive health problem and seek medical attention early.
