Socio-Psychological Impact of Infertility among Female A Case Study in District Swabi

Abstract

This study is quantitative in nature, whereby, the data was collected through an interview schedule from a total of 150 respondents, under the purposive sampling technique. Primary sterility is chosen as the focus of this study because unlike secondary sterility, female with primary sterility have never experienced pregnancy and childbirth, their sterility is, therefore, more noticeable and severe. The Quantitative data was further analyzed through frequencies and percentages under the uni-variate analysis. Major objectives of the study were to seek the perception of female towards primary sterility; and to measure the association between involuntary Barrenness and its socio-psychological implications among female in study area. From the perception of sterile female, this study found out that beside the severe stigmatization on sterile female, Barrenness is a major influencing factor on marital stability, tense relations in the family, increased chances of husband’s remarriage, couple breakup and fear of no biological preservation in future. The study found a significant association of involuntary sterile female face many psychological problems like stress feeling alone in old age, short temper, using abusive language and sensitive. In addition to it, infertile female had a miserable life incase their husbands married another woman for having at least a child. They had also traditional and spiritual treatments before seeking proper allopathic treatment being costly most of the time. The sterile female was deprived of an heir of their property and hence they viewed children as a source of their socio-financial status enhancement. The study recommends that the pairs must visit the health practitioners jointly. The government and non-government organizations should take proper measures to create awareness among the masses that sterility is not a crime; rather this is something going beyond the competence of sterile female.