Women and Infertility in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective

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Book Description

In sub-Saharan Africa female infertility is a major public health problem as well as a human rights issue, with far-reaching consequences for the individual, the couple and, to a lesser extent, the health system. Although infertility is a traumatic experience in the lives of nearly all women who are confronted with it, this health problem is often neglected in reproductive health programs. This neglect is due partly to the lack of adequate treatment interventions and partly to the orientation of many programs towards population growth.

This study of the levels, trends, causes and consequences of female infertility cuts through a range of disciplines. Infertility is discussed from the standpoint of demography, clinical medicine, epidemiology, anthropology and public health. The linkages of infertility to sexual and marital behaviour, to sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, to maternal health and family planning are discussed.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements   7

About the authors   9

Introduction   13

1 Levels and trends in infertility in sub-Saharan Africa   25

2 The role of reproductive tract infections   71

3 Caesarean section and infertility: a case-control study from Zimbabwe   109

4 Modelling the dramatic decline of primary infertility in sub-Saharan Africa   117

5 Primary and secondary infertility in Central African Republic   151

6 Associations between female infertility, HIV and sexual behaviour in rural Tanzania   175

7 The discourse of infertility in Tanzania   189

8 'No child to send': context and consequences of female infertility in northwest Tanzania   203

9 Mchango, menses and the quality of eggs: women's perceptions of fertility risks   223

10 Traditional healers, STDs and infertility in northwest Tanzania   241

11 Health and traditional care for infertility in the Gambia and Zimbabwe   257

Index   269