The Psychosocial Consequences of Infertility Treatment and Coping Mechanisms Among Women Under Treatment In Selected Private Infertility Treatment Clinic In Addis Ababa
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2025-06
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Abstract
Infertility treatment imposes profound psychosocial burdens on women, particularly in
sociocultural context where motherhood is central to female identity. This qualitative
phenomenological study explores the psychosocial consequences of infertility treatment and
the coping mechanisms adopted by women undergoing such treatment in selected private
clinics in Addis Ababa. Focusing on their psychosocial challenges, coping strategies, and the
interplay of cultural, relational, and economic factors. Six married women aged 29-39years,
diagnosed with primary and secondary infertility and actively receiving assisted reproductive
technologies (ART), were Purposively sampled. Data were collected through in-depth interview
and analyzed thematically using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to capture
the core of participants’ lived experiences. Participants reported high level of psychological
distress, including anxiety, grief, and hopelessness, exacerbated by societal stigma that equates
womanhood with fertility. Social isolation emerged as women concealed treatment to avoid
judgment, while marital relationships fluctuated between solid and strained under financial
and emotional pressures. The financial burden of treatments like IVF costing up to 700,000ETB
forced participants to deplete savings, sell assets, or borrow funds, amplifying stress. Cultural
norms intensified gendered blame, with women disproportionately bearing social scrutiny and
familial pressures to pursue alternatives like traditional healing. Coping mechanisms were
multifaceted, anchored in spiritual resilience, social support, and cognitive reframing. Faith in
divine intervention provided emotional solace, while spouses and close family members offered
critical, albeit inconsistent, support. Participants engaged in positive reframing, viewing
treatment as a journey of personal growth, though secrecy and social withdrawal often
deepened emotional isolation. Notably, the absence of standardized psychosocial support in
clinics left women reliant on informal networks, online communities, and self-guided resilience.
This research contributes to global discourse on reproductive health equity, advocating for
holistic interventions in low-resource settings where infertility remains a silenced crisis. Future
research is recommended to include the perspectives of men and couples, explore the long-term
psychosocial outcomes of infertility treatment, and conduct comparative studies across
different regions and socioeconomic groups in Ethiopia.
Description
Keywords
Infertility treatment, psychosocial consequences, coping mechanisms, resilience, qualitative phenomenology