Awareness Perception and Attitudes of Adolescent towards Infertility in Kaduna State, Northern Nigeria

Abstract

Background - in sub-Saharan Africa, about one-third of couples are known to suffer from infertility, predominantly from infection related causes which are mainly preventable. Children in these societies are highly valued .The array of psychological consequences and the magnitude of socio-economic disempowerment associated with infertility may be incomprehensible to someone not familiar with the scourge of involuntary childlessness in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective - this study surveyed adolescent awareness perception and attitudes towards infertility and safe practices in the prevention of infertility Study design- multicentre cross-sectional study Setting- six senior secondary schools. Results - of the 720 respondents, 476(66.1%) were familiar with the term infertility, 336(46.6%) were aware that infertility is a common reason for gynaecological consultation in Nigeria, 203(28.2%) felt that infertility could only happen to women over 40years and 233(32.3%) were of the opinion that infertility is 100% curable. In this study, 683(94.9%) were concerned about their ability to have children someday, 693(96.4%) said protecting their fertility is very important, although 261(36.3%) students said they will be embarrass to ask for information on infertility. The students' reaction towards safe practices that could help protect from infertility showed that more than 50 percent agreed to all the itemised measures except for abstinence from sex with a rate of 46.3%(333 respondents) and the use of birth control pills with 39.9%(287 respondents). Conclusion- this study re-emphasise the premium placed on fertility in Nigerian society. Study amongst this subset of population would serve as an important tool in planning preventive programs for the uninformed adolescents. Inclusion of infertility as a taught topic in high school curriculum would be a rewarding step towards preventing infertility in sub-Saharan Africa.