Awareness, Perceived Efficacy, and Utilization of Assisted Reproductive Technologies Among Women Attending Infertility Clinic in a Nigerian Tertiary Health Institution: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract BackgroundInfertility is a source of distress for couples considering the high accolade placed on having children in family settings in Nigeria. Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) offer a chance of parenthood to couples. However, studies on knowledge of ART abound in Nigeria but no previous studies exist on the extent of utilization of assisted reproductive technologies. This study thus explored the level of awareness, perceived efficacy and utilization of ARTs among women attending infertility Clinic in a Nigerian Tertiary Health Institution.Methods This cross-sectional study which utilized a self-administered questionnaire was adopted for this study. The questionnaire contains five sections with section A to E bordering on demographics, awareness, perceived efficacy, utilization, and factors influencing utilization respectivelyResultsOne hundred and seven women with infertility problems, aged between 26-35 years with a mean age of 31.46 ± 5.72 participated in the study. Sixty-two patients (57.9%) were aware of ARTs while 97 (90.7%) believed that ART cannot address male infertility. Only 27 (25.2%) admitted to have used ART procedures before while 82 patients (76.6%) stated that cost of the procedure was the major hindrance to use. Conclusions Awareness of ARTs is average while there is low utilization and perceived efficacy of ART. High cost of the procedure remains the major setback to its utilization