Violence against infertile women: comparative study in Upper verses Lower Egypt

Research Abstract

Background: Infertility is a common gynecological problem that is associated with social stigma, social neglect, economic deprivation, emotional stress, unhappiness and marital instability. Violence against women is a global major health and human right concerns as this affects millions of women all over the world across ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic and educational classes. Infertile women have been deemed particularly vulnerable to domestic abuse in several studies. Aim: highlight and compare the prevalence and trends of domestic violence among infertile women receiving treatment for infertility in Upper verses Lower Egypt. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study on 200 infertile women. The study was carried out at Beni-Suef University’s Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Delayed Reproduction and Gynecological Outpatient Clinic Beni-Suef University Hospital and gynecological outpatient clinic, Port Said University Hospital. Results: Women either upper Egyptian or lower Egyptian infertile women experienced and exposed all forms of domestic violence. The Upper & Lower studied Egyptian women experienced physical violence in about 70.0% & 68.0% and verbal violence in about 69.0% & 62.0% and financial violence in about 48.0% &46.0% and violence in about sexual violence in about 45.0% & 28.0%, since not been able to have a baby successfully and in the past years. Relationships between physical and verbal aggression that are statistically significant include age, different types of infertility, the gender of children (p<0.05). Conclusion: However, is no statistically significant deference between geographical area (upper or lower) and types of violence experienced by infertile women, all form of violence were more prevalent among upper Egyptian infertile women. Recommendations: (1) It is recommended that additional research be done with a larger sample from other provinces of Upper Egypt with regard to infertility and its psychological effects. (2) The relationship between violence and reproductive results requires more study, as do effective psychosocial interventions. Research on emotions and coping mechanisms within the context of treatment is particularly important.

Research Keywords

domestic violence, infertile women, physical violence, verbal violence, sexual violence, financial violence