Quality of life and associated factors among infertile women attending infertility clinic at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Zanzibar

Background: Worldwide, it is estimated at least 50 million couples are affected by infertility with the prevalence of infertility being 16% in Tanzania. Psychological impact of infertility in patients negatively affects women's Quality of Life (QoL) defined as a person`s perception of where they are in life in terms of culture and value in the emotional, mind-body, relational, social, environment and tolerability of treatment aspects. Poor Quality of Life is related to increased treatment discontinuation. The aim of this study was to determine the Quality of Life and associated factors among infertile women attending infertility clinic at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Zanzibar.

Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted among 340 infertile women attending infertility clinic at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Zanzibar. Data was collected using FertiQoL tool. The factors associated with Quality of Life using FertiQoL tool in infertile women were estimated in a multivariable linear regression model at 95% confidence interval and 5% level of significance.

Results: Quality of life of infertile women at Mnazi Mmoja infertility clinic was 70.6 ± 10.0 on a scale of 0 to 100. It increased significantly with increase in educational level (p = 0.009). Women with female individual causes on average had 5.07 (B=- 5.07, 95%CI: -7.78, -2.35) and women with individual and respective male partner causes of infertility had on average 4.95 (B= -4.95, 95% CI: -7.77, -2.12) respective decrease in the FertiQoL scores compared to those who had their male partner with problems as reason for infertility. There was an average 4.50 (B=-4.50, 95% CI: 2.30, 6.70) decrease in quality of life in women with secondary infertility compared to women with primary infertility. Every month increase in duration of infertility led to an average of 0.04 (B=-2.57, 95%CI: -0.07, -0.01) decrease in FertiQoL scores.

Conclusion: The overall quality of life in this population was positively associated with level of education but negatively affected with reason for infertility, type of infertility and duration of infertility.