Comparing Infertility Stigma and Fertility Beliefs of Patients Seeking Fertility Treatment in Ghana and South Africa

Patients with infertility face stigma and have varying beliefs about infertility. Both stigma and fertility beliefs may differ by setting, owing to personal, social and cultural factors. Infertility stigma and fertility beliefs may play an important role in the psychological well-being of patients with infertility. Although several studies have been conducted on psychosocial aspects of infertility in Africa, no cross-country studies have explored the differences in infertility stigma and fertility beliefs. This comparative study employed a cross-sectional design to determine if there were significant differences in stigma and fertility beliefs in patients seeking fertility treatment in South Africa and Ghana. The sample consisted of 119 participants from Ghana and 210 from South Africa. Data were collected using the Infertility Stigma Scale and the Fertility Beliefs Questionnaire. The questionnaires were administered at fertility clinics either online or in person by trained data collectors. Statistical analysis included analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis and post-hoc tests. The findings revealed that female South African participants reported significantly more stigma than female Ghanaian participants and male South African participants. We found few differences regarding gender and country when comparing fertility beliefs. There were no significant differences between the groups in relation to fertility beliefs (p = .27), consequences (p = .07), causes (p = .31) and illness coherence (p = .12). There were significant differences between the groups with regard to personal control (p < .001) and timeline (p < .001). Future qualitative research is recommended to explore these findings further.