Burden of domestic violence amongst infertile women attending infertility clinics in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Infertility affects about 20% or more of the population. Infertility can lead to domestic violence and any woman who experiences domestic violence because of infertility, has a double jeopardy.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 233 infertile women attending infertility clinics in 3 hospitals in Nigeria overa period of 12 months.

Results: Ninety seven (41.6%) of the women had experienced domestic violence because of their infertility state. The forms of domestic violence experienced were psychological torture 50 (51.5%), verbal abuse 38 (39.2%), ridicule 27 (27.8%), physical abuse 17 (17.5%) and deprivation 6 (6.2%). The main culprits were the husband 47 (48.5%) and female in-laws 31 (32%). Yoruba women were more likely to experience domestic violence than other tribes, although this difference did not reach statistical significance ( p > 0.05.) Educational level, parity, type of marriage and duration of infertility were not statistically significant (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: In this setting, infertile women are prone to domestic violence. Prompt evaluation, counselling of the couple, as well as early treatment and prevention of infertility is necessary to avoid the problem and domestic violence. This should form part of efforts to meet the millennium development goals.