Comparing infertility-related stress in high fertility and low fertility countries.
Emily A Groene, Cyrialis Mutabuzi, Dickson Chinunje, Ester Matson Shango, Shalini Kulasingam, Charles Riziki Majinge
Author Information
Emily A Groene: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, United States. Electronic address: groe0074@umn.edu.
Cyrialis Mutabuzi: Dodoma Christian Medical Center Trust, Dodoma, Tanzania.
Dickson Chinunje: Dodoma Christian Medical Center Trust, Dodoma, Tanzania.
Ester Matson Shango: Dodoma Regional Referral Hospital, Dodoma, Tanzania.
Shalini Kulasingam: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Charles Riziki Majinge: Dodoma Christian Medical Center Trust, Dodoma, Tanzania.
We surveyed 169 women seeking Infertility treatment in Central Tanzania using an abbreviated version of the Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) to measure Infertility-related stress. We compared our FPI results to similar studies in another high fertility country (Ghana) and in three low fertility countries (the US, Canada, and Italy). Tanzanian women reported higher Infertility-related stress than women in low-fertility countries but lower stress than Ghanaian women. Infertility-related stress is a serious concern for women in high-fertility countries, who experience greater pressure to have children. These findings underscore the need for increased access to Infertility treatment and addressing community Infertility norms.
