The Impact of Infertility on the Sexual Life of Infertile Women in Enugu, South East Nigeria.

Background: Infertility is a common gynecological problem in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. It tends to affect the sexual life of couples and may affect their quality of life. Objective: The study was aimed to assess the impact of infertility on the sexual life of women with infertility seeking care in Enugu, South-East Nigeria. Methods: A questionnaire-based, multicenter cross-sectional study of women with infertility managed at the Gynecology units of the two government-owned tertiary hospitals in Enugu over a 2 months period. The relevant data were obtained and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: Three hundred and sixty female respondents participated in the study. Their mean age was 35.23 ± 5.7 years. The majority of them were married (98.3%) and attained a tertiary level of education (69%). The number of respondents that reported adequate sexual intercourse dropped from 33.9% before the diagnosis of infertility to 12.2% after the diagnosis. Almost two-thirds of the respondents (65%) reported that they no longer enjoy sex with their husband/partner, whereas 38.9% of them feel they were no longer attracted to their partners. Conclusion: Infertility seems to have a negative effect on the sexual life of women. Addressing this identified negative effect may improve the outcome of infertility management and also may improve the quality of life of women with infertility in the region.