Knowledge, attitudes and practices of men and women regarding infertility in the City of Tshwane, Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

Background: Infertility affects millions of couples and individuals around the world. Despite this, there is minimal evidence of the knowledge, attitudes and practices among men and women regarding infertility in South Africa, particularly in the City of Tshwane, Pretoria. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices among men and women regarding infertility in the City of Tshwane, Pretoria, South Africa. Research design and methods: The descriptive quantitative research design was adopted for this study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from men and women in primary health care settings in the Tshwane District of the Gauteng Province. Stratified sampling was utilised to sample men and women who met the inclusion criteria. The sample size was 377. The researcher captured raw data on an Excel spreadsheet and sent it to a statistician for data analysis. Statistical Package for Social Sciences Statistics (IBM SPSS) version 28 software was used to analyse the data. Findings: The study found that most respondents had a good understanding and knowledge regarding the causes of infertility. About (67.4%) of respondents indicated that the menstrual cycle is likely to cause infertility among females, and 64.4% indicated that semen abnormalities are likely to cause infertility among males. However, several misconceptions were noted, such as infertility is a disability (69.2%) and that females (30.5%) are to blame for infertility than men (7.4%). Both men and women had a positive attitude toward infertility. About (79.5%) regarded infertility as a medical condition. Furthermore, most of respondents were open to modifying their lifestyles and utilising cutting-edge techniques like invitro fertilisation (90.7%) to increase fertility. When confronted with infertility, (90%) of women showed a strong Abstract vi Vangile Naney Mabitsela preference for using spiritual or religious wellbeing as a coping mechanism. Additionally, (79.2%) of men supported the use of traditional medicine if they became infertile. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that most women and men who participated in the study had knowledge and positive attitudes regarding infertility. Despite this, there were still misconceptions about how past contraceptive use and lifestyle decisions affect fertility. These findings highlight the need to educate the general population about infertility, its causes, and available treatments. Education is crucial for addressing the myths and misconceptions related to infertility. In addition, men and women had differing approaches to coping with infertility. Women tended to rely on spiritual or religious practices for their well-being, whereas men preferred traditional medicine.