Infertility in Rural Ethiopia
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Date
1999-12
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Infertility is a world-wide problem aff ecting 8-12% of married couples. The
prevalence of infertility in some areas of the sub-Sahara region reaches as
high as 30% . Muc h of the literature on infertility deals with the problems of
infertility for wome n in the western countries and l ittle is known as to what
puts women in sub-Sahara Africa v ulnerable to infertility and as to how
perceive the causes o f infertility. A cross-sectional survey was conducted
in rural Buta jira, Ethiopia, in the period between the 13th of May and 23 rd
of June, 1999 to determine t he magnitude and potential risk factors of
infertility. A total of 901 women in the age group 20 to 29 years were
e nrolled into the study from s urveillance reg ister.
The prevale nce of primary and secondary i nfertility was 2.9% a nd 16.1%
respectively. Comparison was made between cases of secondary infertility and
fertile women about potential risk factors. pregna ncy wastage, age at first
marriage less than 16 years, STDs occurring after t he last pregnancy,
polygamous marriage, and low level education of the husbands were found
significantly associated with secondary i nferti lity. Most women with the
problem of infertility in the area visit the witc h-craft , more often than the
health institutions. It is recommended that public health officials must
i ncrease the access to and strengthen programs aimi ng at the reduction of
post-partum a nd post- abortal i nfections a nd STDs. Due attention should be
given for developing and impleme nting protocols for evaluating and managing
infertility.
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Public Health