Ofosu-Budu Dorcas, Hänninen Vilma
University of Eastern Finland, Social Science Department.
Afr J Reprod Health. 2021 Aug;25(4):142-152. doi: 10.29063/ajrh2021/v25i4.15.
Infertility is a troubling condition for couples, especially for women, in pronatalist cultures. The ways in which infertility is explained have important effects on the stigma associated with childlessness and thus on the suffering it causes. This article explored the explanations for infertility among involuntarily childless women in the North-East and Ashanti regions of Ghana. Thirty infertile married women were interviewed, 15 from each region, by using a semi-structured interview protocol. A phenomenological study design and thematic analysis were used to explore the aetiological explanations of their infertility. The data from the Ashanti region was transcribed verbatim from Twi to English, coded, and analysed into themes unlike the data from the North-East which was already in English. Most of these infertile women attributed their condition to supernatural factors irrespective of their settings, level of education, and religion. They proffered such explanations for conditions for which they could not readily pinpoint causes or when these were for them beyond comprehension. Other explanations of infertility were medical, such as fluid in the ovaries and hormonal imbalance. Moreover, lifestyle factors such as the use of contraceptives or having had an abortion were mentioned. Some women mentioned that the cause of their infertility had not been found. Health professionals should educate women on reproductive health issues. Counsellors and therapists should educate would-be couples on the possible challenges in marriages, especially concerning childlessness and infertility. Moreover, to reduce stigma, it is essential that the communities are educated on the documented causes of infertility.
在推崇生育的文化中，不孕对夫妻来说是个令人困扰的状况，对女性而言尤其如此。对不孕原因的解释方式，会对与无子女相关的污名产生重要影响，进而影响其所带来的痛苦。本文探讨了加纳东北部和阿散蒂地区非自愿无子女女性对不孕的解释。采用半结构化访谈方案，对30名不孕已婚女性进行了访谈，每个地区15名。运用现象学研究设计和主题分析来探究她们不孕的病因解释。阿散蒂地区的数据从特维语逐字转录成英语，进行编码并分析成主题，而东北部的数据原本就是英语。这些不孕女性大多将自己的状况归因于超自然因素，无论她们所处的环境、教育水平和宗教信仰如何。对于那些她们无法轻易找出原因或超出其理解范围的情况，她们就给出这样的解释。不孕的其他解释是医学方面的，比如卵巢积液和激素失衡。此外，还提到了一些生活方式因素，如使用避孕药或曾堕胎。一些女性表示尚未找到自己不孕的原因。卫生专业人员应就生殖健康问题对女性进行教育。咨询师和治疗师应就婚姻中可能面临的挑战，特别是关于无子女和不孕的问题，对准夫妻进行教育。此外，为了减少污名，必须让社区了解已记录在案的不孕原因。
