Addressing the Rehabilitation Needs of Women Experiencing Infertility in Ethiopia: Time for Action

Bilen Mekonnen Araya (), Maria P. Velez, Kassahun Alemu Gelaye, Silke Dyer and Heather M. Aldersey
Additional contact information
Bilen Mekonnen Araya: Department of Rehabilitation Science, School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, 31 George St., Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Maria P. Velez: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada
Kassahun Alemu Gelaye: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, Gondar P.O. Box 196, Ethiopia
Silke Dyer: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Groote Schuur Hospital and Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
Heather M. Aldersey: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, 31 George St., Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: The psychological, social, and financial disabilities caused by infertility are significant for women, particularly those living in low- and middle-income countries such as Ethiopia. Although rehabilitation can be an important form of support for such women, infertility is frequently overlooked as a disability or potential target of rehabilitation interventions. This study aimed to determine what rehabilitation-related services and supports are available for women experiencing infertility in Ethiopia. We used an Interpretive Description design. We purposefully selected fourteen rehabilitation, medical, and policy service providers from diverse institutions across three geographical locations. We used semi-structured questions during our in-person and telephone interviews. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis with the assistance of NVivo. We identified five main themes, including (a) policies related to infertility, (b) the concept that disabilities are physically visible fails to recognize infertility, (c) the need for rehabilitation services for women with infertility, (d) the importance of wellness services for women experiencing infertility, and (e) the role of religion in rehabilitation services. In conclusion, it is essential to strengthen the policies around infertility, incorporate rehabilitation services in fertility care, and view infertility as a disabling condition for women who experience it in Ethiopia.

Keywords: infertility; disability; rehabilitation; Ethiopia; religiosity; primary healthcare; reproductive health; Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/4/475/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/4/475/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:4:p:475-:d:1375144

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().