University of Eastern Finland, Social Science Department.
Afr J Reprod Health. 2022 May;26(5):96-106. doi: 10.29063/ajrh2022/v26i5.11.
In sub-Saharan Africa, traditional medical practitioners also referred to as herbalists, offer diagnostics and therapeutics for diverse medical conditions irrespective of the cause. Given their traditional role as healers and repository of knowledge about medicinal plants, spirituality, customs and religion, people use their services regardless of their location, education, or socio-economic backgrounds. The aim of the study is to explore herbalists´ views and explanations on infertility and women with infertility. Using an exploratory qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 herbalists, 5 from the North-East region, 2 from Ashanti region and 3 from the Greater Accra region. Following thematic analysis, findings show that infertility has multiple causes - medical, natural, spiritual and lifestyle. Some herbalists stated that everyone was created to bear children while others refuted this notion. They shared the common consensus that not everyone can have children even though they may be medically and spiritually fit. The public should be advised on the need for periodic reproductive health checks. Also, there should be a conscious, concerted efforts to gradually dissociate unhealthy explanations of infertility from the actual empirically proven realities. This would empower society to rise above those entrenched beliefs, thereby reducing the stigma associated with infertility and women with infertility.
在撒哈拉以南非洲，传统医学从业者也被称为草药医生，他们提供针对各种医疗状况的诊断和治疗，无论其病因如何。鉴于他们作为治疗者和药用植物、精神、习俗和宗教知识的保管者的传统角色，人们无论其所在地、教育程度或社会经济背景如何，都会使用他们的服务。本研究旨在探讨草药医生对不孕不育症和不孕不育症妇女的看法和解释。研究采用探索性定性设计，对来自东北地区的 10 名草药医生进行了半结构化访谈，其中 5 名来自东北地区，2 名来自阿散蒂地区，3 名来自大阿克拉地区。通过主题分析，研究结果表明，不孕不育有多种原因，包括医疗、自然、精神和生活方式等。一些草药医生表示，每个人生来都可以生育孩子，而另一些则反驳了这一观点。他们共同认为，即使一个人在医疗和精神上都健康，也并非每个人都能生育孩子。应该建议公众定期进行生殖健康检查。此外，应该有意识地、一致地努力，逐步将不孕不育的不健康解释与实际经验证的现实区分开来。这将使社会能够超越那些根深蒂固的信念，从而减少与不孕不育症和不孕不育症妇女相关的耻辱感。
