Acceptability of child adoption in the management of infertility: A survey of women attending fertility clinics in the tertiary facilities in Lagos.
Date
2014
Authors
Ezenwankwo, FC
Roberts, AA
Balogun, MR
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Clinical Sciences
Abstract
Introduction: Infertility is a major social problem with public health relevance in developing
countries, with prevalence levels up to 30%. In contrast, the available treatment options for
infertile couples are limited. Most times, the cost of this treatment is far beyond the reach
of the common man and the success rates recorded with these treatments are minimal. This
study was carried out to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice of child adoption
among infertile women attending fertility clinics in the public health facilities in Lagos,
and to identify factors that may influence the willingness to adopt among these women.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross‑sectional study was conducted in the three
government‑owned tertiary fertility clinics in Lagos (namely the Lagos University Teaching
Hospital (LUTH), the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), and the Federal
Medical Center (FMC) Ebute‑Metta) among 355 infertile women attending these clinics.
Results: The majority of the respondents (90.1%) had heard of child adoption before and
28.7% of them had a good knowledge of the processes and legalities involved in child adoption.
Almost two‑thirds (63.7%) expressed their willingness to adopt, while 58.6% of the respondents
felt that an adopted child could never be compared to a biological child. Factors that were
significantly associated with the attitude toward child adoption included the level of education
of the respondent, their religion, marital status, knowledge of child adoption, and duration of
infertility (P < 0.05). Discussion: The high level of willingness to adopt in contrast to the low
level of practice among infertile women in Lagos indicates the scope for advocacy and public
enlightenment to integrate adoption into the arsenal of management of infertility.
Description
Scholarly article
Keywords
Child adoption , Management of Infertility , Lagos State , Tertiary health facilities , Research Subject Categories::MEDICINE::Social medicine
Citation
Ezenwankwo FC, Roberts AA, Balogun MR. Acceptability of child adoption in the management of infertility: A survey of women attending fertility clinics in the tertiary facilities in Lagos. Journal of Clinical Sciences 2014; 11(2): 35-38