J Infertil Reprod Biol, 2018, Volume 6, Issue 2, Pages: 4-8. https://doi.org/10.47277/JIRB/6(2)/4
Treatment Seeking Beliefs among Women with
Infertility in Southern Ghana
1
2*
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Nana Semuah Bressey , Florence Naab , Ernestina Safoa Donkor
1
Ghana Health Service, Adjiringano Health Centre, Ghana
2
Maternal & Child Health Department, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon
3
School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana
Received: 02/02/2018
Accepted: 09/04/2018
Published: 20/06/2018
Abstract
To explore the beliefs associated with treatment-seeking for infertility among women with infertility in southern Ghana a
qualitative descriptive design was used. Women with infertility were recruited through herbalists in the Accra Metropolis of
Ghana. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 women with infertility through purposive and snowball sampling
techniques. The findings revealed that women with infertility believed in consulting herbalists, seeking hospital treatment, and
engaging in faith-based spiritual activities in order to have children. They believed that it was crucial to seek treatment for
infertility. It was revealed that childless women believed in combining treatment remedies for effective benefits. The cultural
beliefs and perceptions influenced the treatment-seeking behaviour of these women. These findings suggest that medical
pluralism is unavoidable in the search for infertility treatment in Ghana. There is a need for further investigation into the impact
of beliefs on treatment-seeking behaviour.
Keywords: Infertility, Women, Behaviour, Attitude, Treatment
Introduction
Globally, 15% of couples in their reproductive age are
affected by childlessness at a projected prevalence of 48.5
to 70 million (1-3). In Africa, the prevalence of infertility
ranges between 30-40% with much negative social
impacts such as stigma, abuse, and economic challenges
on women (4). Infertility causes serious emotional pain
and throws a feeling of uncertainty on the lives of these
women (5).
Apart from the continuity of family lineage, childbirth
in Africa is also important for economic security, where
parents depend greatly on their children for support during
old age. Therefore, after marriage, African couples are
always under pressure to produce children (6). This
pressure is an important factor in the treatment seeking
behaviour of couples, especially women with infertility in
Africa.
about the type of treatment to seek. According to (13),
60% of participants in a survey conducted in Saudi Arabia
believed that childlessness was caused by an evil eye or
envy. Furthermore, the beliefs around the use of ARTs in
Islam may influence the attitudes towards ART and
restrict care options (9). Undesirable beliefs around the
safety, accessibility and cost of infertility treatment have
been reported (14-16). The impact of these beliefs on the
levels of depression, anxiety, stress, stigma, and social
isolation among these women has also been reported to be
problematic (17). By extension, these beliefs may also
have an impact on the treatment seeking behaviour of
these women because the belief about improving
productivity is one of the reasons why women seek herbal
medicine (12). It is also known that desperate and
distressed women with infertility use herbs silently to help
themselves (18). Thus, globally, cultural beliefs and
perceptions drive women with infertility to adopt
culturally appropriate treatments that are consistent with
their beliefs (19).
In Sub-Saharan Africa, it appears that cultural and
religious beliefs and perceptions are the reasons for the
popularity of herbal medicine because it is perceive to be
economical, readily available and consistent with their
culture (20, 21). According to Sonaliya (22), cultural
perceptions restrict some women with infertility from
seeking other forms of treatment. Furthermore, for some
women, perceptions about the cause of infertility are
enough to direct the needed treatment preference. Also,
because of religious and cultural beliefs, when there is the
need for ARTs, women in Iran are not eager to share their
feelings about the treatment (23).
A study in Rwanda reported that due to pressure, 11%
(
n=277) of women visited a traditional healer (7) to seek
treatment for difficulty to conceive, while in Nigerian 69%
of couples with infertility were reported to seek care from
traditional complementary treatment experts (8).
Additionally, religious beliefs are also used to determine
the behaviour and treatment of choice. For instance,
Islamic beliefs about procreation have a substantial impact
on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) users (9)
because Muslim women with infertility are expected to
only receive sperm from their husbands, anything else is
considered adultery (10,11). In Iran, some women with
infertility are reported to rant spiritual prayers during
sexual intercourse believing that the behaviour will
improve fertility (12).
The cultural background of women with infertility
seems to have an influence on their beliefs and perceptions
In Ghana, 53% of women seeking infertility treatment
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Corresponding author: Florence Naab, Maternal & Child Health Department, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health
Sciences, University of Ghana, Email: florencenaab@yahoo.com
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