Awareness, perceived efficacy, and utilization of assisted reproductive technologies among women attending fertility clinic in a Nigerian tertiary health institution: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: infertility is a source of distress for couples considering the high accolade placed on having children in family settings in Nigeria. Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) offer a chance for parenthood to couples. However, studies on knowledge of ARTs abound in Nigeria but no previous studies exist on the extent of utilization of assisted reproductive technologies. This study thus explored the level of awareness, perceived efficacy, and utilization of ARTs among women attending fertility Clinics in a Nigerian Tertiary Health Institution. Methods: this cross-sectional study which utilized a self-administered questionnaire was adopted for this study. The questionnaire contains five sections with sections A to E bordering on demographics, awareness, perceived efficacy, utilization, and factors influencing utilization respectively. Results: one hundred and seven women with infertility problems, aged between 26 and 35 years with a mean age of 31.46 ±5.72 participated in the study. Sixty-two patients (57.9%) were aware of ARTs while 97 (90.7%) believed that ART cannot address male infertility. Only 27 (25.2%) admitted to having used ART procedures before while 82 patients (76.6%) stated that the cost of the procedure was the major hindrance to use. Conclusion: awareness of ARTs is average while there is low utilization and perceived efficacy of ART. The high cost of the procedure remains the major setback to its utilization.