'You are a man because you have children': experiences, reproductive health knowledge and treatment-seeking behaviour among men suffering from couple infertility in South Africa
'You are a man because you have children': experiences, reproductive health knowledge and treatment-seeking behaviour among men suffering from couple infertility in South Africa
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DOI：
10.1093/humrep/deh195
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发表时间：
2004-04-01
影响因子：
6.1
通讯作者：
van der Spuy, ZM
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Dyer, SJ;Abrahams, N;van der Spuy, ZM
背景：在非洲，不孕症传统上被视为女性的问题。本研究探讨与夫妻不育男性非自愿无子女有关的生殖健康知识、求医行为和经验。方法：来自南非不同文化城市社区的27名男性在他们第一次访问三级转诊中心的不孕不育诊所时参加了深入访谈。结果：男性对人类生育的生理、不孕症的原因和现代治疗方案知之甚少。然而，对男性因素不育的认识很高。大多数男性似乎都参与了寻求健康的过程。男性描述了他们对无子女的情绪反应和不育对婚姻稳定的影响，许多人报告说，不育男性遭受了耻辱、言语虐待和失去社会地位。结论：这些发现提高了我们对非洲夫妻不育男性生殖健康需求的理解。这种理解对于有效地将男性伴侣纳入现代不孕症管理至关重要。认识到需要对男子提供适当的咨询，特别是需要对社区进行教育。
BACKGROUND: In Africa, infertility traditionally has been viewed as a female problem. This study explores reproductive health knowledge, health-seeking behaviour and experiences related to involuntary childlessness in men suffering from couple infertility. METHODS: Twenty-seven men from a diverse cultural urban community in South Africa participated in in-depth interviews at the time of their first visit to an infertility clinic in a tertiary referral centre. RESULTS: Men had little knowledge about the physiology of human fertility, causes of infertility and modern treatment options. Awareness of male factor infertility was, however, high. Most men appeared involved in the health-seeking process. Men described their emotional reactions to childlessness and the impact of infertility on marital stability, and many reported that infertile men suffered from stigmatization, verbal abuse and loss of social status. CONCLUSIONS: These findings improve our understanding of the reproductive health needs of men suffering from couple infertility in Africa. This understanding is essential for the effective integration of male partners into modern infertility management. The need for appropriate counselling of men and, most particularly, for education of the community is recognized.