LIVED EXPERIENCE OF WOMEN WITH INFERTILITY

Introduction: Infertility is a medical condition which affects all dimension of life, including sexual, marital, social and personal aspects. It can cause painful emotional experience throughout a women’s life. The social consequences of infertility include exclusion, verbal and physical abuse, divorce and stigma. Couples facing reproductive challenges often experience high level of psychological stress. Methods: Descriptive phenomenological research design was used to explore the lived experience of women with infertility who were currently seeking treatment. Nine women with infertility were selected through non probability purposive sampling. In-depth face to face interviews were conducted, audio recorded on a voice recorder, transcribed, and translated into English. Field note were maintained to capture additional relevant information. The data was analyzed manually. Audio records were listened to multiple times, and verbatim transcription were made. The data were then thematically analyzed using Colaizzi’s (1978) methods. From the data individual meaning was coded and once the pattern began to emerged, codes were grouped and consolidate into common themes. Result: Two main themes emerged Experience of infertility and Consequences of infertility. The sub-theme included social stigma, the therapeutic journey, social consequences and emotional consequences. The studies found that infertility has a profound psychological and social impact on women’s life. It effects couples through social exclusion, family dispute, verbal abuse and the risk of marital disharmony. Psychological impacts consisted self-imposed isolation, low self- esteem, hopelessness and feeling of inadequacy, often leading to emotional breakdown. To cope with infertility, most participants sought help from traditional healers and used homeopathic remedies alongside allopathic treatments. Conclusion: The study highlights the emotional pain of women with infertility- feeling undervalued, facing negative stereotypes, and experiencing pressure to bear children. It underscores the importance of healthcare providers understanding infertility from a more empathetic perspective.