PERCEPTION OF NIGERIAN WOMEN ABOUT INFERTILITY AND ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNIQUES

INFERTILITY AND ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNIQUES

Abstract

Background: Involuntary infertility is a tragedy in most African setting due to high premium placed on fertility. In women attending infertility clinic we determined awareness, knowledge and acceptability of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART).

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study in which 345 women being evaluated for infertility at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. The data was obtained using self-administered structured questionnaires.

Findings: Almost all the respondents 89.7% were aware of ART. The women had a mean age of 34.53 ± 5.1 years with peak incidence of the infertility observed in the age group of 35-39 years (38.3%). Secondary infertility (87%) was more common than primary infertility (13%) among the women. Awareness of the women on other options of ART like egg donation (40.3%) and surrogacy (42.9%) were comparatively similar. Acceptability of some ART options was low as more than half of the women rejected the use of either egg donation or surrogacy, while more women preferred the use of egg donation (25.5%) to surrogacy (7.5%). Educational status, parity and type of infertility showed significant association with knowledge of ART.

Conclusion: Many Nigerian women with infertility are aware of ART treatment but a sizeable number showed low acceptability for use of oocyte donation and surrogacy.