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Infertility in Sub-Saharan Africa: a woman’s issue for how long? a qualitative review of literature

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dc.contributor.author Chimbatata, Nathan B. W.
dc.contributor.author Malimba, Chikondi
dc.date.accessioned 2022-07-15T13:52:03Z
dc.date.available 2022-07-15T13:52:03Z
dc.date.issued 2016
dc.identifier.citation Chimbatata, N. B. W. & Malimba, C. (2016). Infertility in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Woman’s Issue for How Long? A Qualitative Review of Literature. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 4, 96-102. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jss.2016.48012 en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jss.2016.48012
dc.identifier.uri 192.168.2.8:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/251
dc.description.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. en_US
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Scientific research publishing en_US
dc.subject Social Impact en_US
dc.title Infertility in Sub-Saharan Africa: a woman’s issue for how long? a qualitative review of literature en_US
dc.type Article en_US


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