How does the experience of the medical encounter with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome impact women in Africa?

Abstract

Introduction: the MRKH syndrome is a rare congenital malformation in women. As most rare conditions, this syndrome usually causes confusion in patients and even in physicians. The medical encounter of young girls with the syndrome is intertwined in a complex matrix of social, economic and cultural factors that only contribute in creating more confusion in the young girl. Methods: the study is qualitative and designed to describe the first encounter of women with the MRKH syndrome at the physician. To that effect, an interview guide was designed for in-depth interviews with 05 MRKH women from varied African countries (Cameroon, Côte-d’Ivoire, and Senegal) selected using the snowball technique. Results: findings from this study revealed that most women go to the hospital and return more confused as no clear information is given to them on their condition. Also, cultural, social and religious beliefs on the one hand seems to blur the physician’s judgment to provide appropriate remedies like instrumental dilatation for rudimentary vagina, surrogacy for uterine infertility factor, adoption, etc. and on the other hand, these beliefs also act as a barrier for these young girls who are not strangers to the culture. Conclusion: the study suggests that, physicians give to the patients all necessary information for them to take elective decisions on their health. It also suggests that awareness should be raised on this condition.