A scoping review of the psychosocial aspects of infertility in African countries

Infertility refers to the inability to conceive after 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. Psychosocial aspects of infertility research are predominant in developed countries. A scoping review of psychosocial aspects of infertility research conducted in Africa between 2000 and 2022 was conducted. Twelve databases and grey literature were searched for articles. Studies were included if they were published in English and included findings from patients diagnosed with primary or secondary infertility. A total of 2 372 articles were initially found and screening resulted in 116 articles being included in the scoping review. Most of the studies (81%) were conducted in Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa. Psychosocial aspects explored included quality of life, barriers to treatment, attitudes and stigma, and sociocultural and religious aspects of infertility, among others. The review maps published psychosocial research in the context of infertility in Africa and identifies gaps for future research. Our aim was to review published studies on psychological and social research conducted among men and women who were seeking treatment for infertility in Africa between 2000 and 2022.We initially found 2 373 articles that seemed appropriate but after screening these articles only included 116 in this review.We found that in Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa produced the most studies on the psychological and social impact of infertility.Common areas of research include exploring patients quality of life, barriers to seeking fertility treatment, stigma and attitudes around infertility, social, cultural and religious issues relating to infertility.This review is therefore helpful in understanding where psychological and social research on infertility is being conducted, what it is focused on and what the gaps in research are.