UNDERSTANDING THE THREATS OF INFERTILITY AMONG WOMEN IN RURAL NORTHERN GHANA

Abstract

Having a biological child is an essential part of marriage in northern Ghana. Women who are unable to bear their own children therefore go through psychological and social trauma. However, there is paucity of studies on the psychological and social burden that infertility has on women in rural northern Ghana. The purpose of the study was to explore the threats that infertility poses to women. It is qualitative research with an exploratory descriptive design. Fifteen women attending fertility clinic in a Mission Hospital in the Upper East Region were purposively sampled for the study. The data were collected by interviewing the women using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. The study revealed that women suffered psychological threats such as anxiety, stress, and low mood. Social threats suffered by the women centered on marital instability, social pressure, social stigma and decreased social recognition. Women did not receive the needed support from their husbands and other members of the family in their struggle for conception. Health education on infertility should include husbands and others in the family.