Determinants of Quality of Life Among Individuals with Infertility Attending Gynaecology Clinics in a Tertiary Hospital in South-Western Nigeria

Abstract

There is a scarcity of research in Nigeria examining quality of life (QoL) among individuals facing infertility, particularly studies that evaluate both men and women across multiple dimensions of well-being. This study set out to evaluate the QoL of infertile individuals attending gynaecology clinics at University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, located in Oyo State, South-West Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted. The World Health Organization's QoL instrument was employed to assess QoL across four domains: physical, psychological, social, and environmental health. A total of 263 participants were selected through simple random sampling. Data were analysed using SPSS version 21, with domain scores computed on a scale of 0 to 100 in a positive direction, indicating that higher scores reflected better QoL. Means and standard deviations were reported for continuous variables, while descriptive statistics addressed the research questions. Hypotheses were tested using binomial logistic regression, with p-values <0.05 and <0.01 considered statistically and highly statistically significant, respectively. Findings revealed that nearly half (48.3%) of the participants were aged 35–44 years, the majority were Yoruba (77.9%), and most were female (70.0%). Over half (57.4%) had experienced infertility for 1–5 years, and 76.8% were in monogamous unions. Educational attainment varied, with 38.8% of husbands and 45.6% of wives holding bachelor’s degrees. Monthly income exceeding ₦100,000 (approx. $100 USD) was reported by 47.9% of respondents. Overall, 69.2% had a marginal QoL score (mean = 3.384 ± 0.319), indicating slightly above-average well-being. Social and environmental health domains showed the lowest scores, with 17.9% and 17.1% of participants reporting inadequate health in these areas, respectively. Key predictors of QoL included age, duration of infertility, the husband's educational background, and the wife’s occupation. Statistically significant positive correlations were observed between physical and psychological health, as well as between social and environmental health (p<0.05). Based on these findings, it is recommended that infertility treatment be incorporated into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to alleviate the financial challenges faced by affected individuals.