Health Status and Quality of Life of Women Seeking Infertility Treatments in Baluchistan, Pakistan

Hassan, Sehar-un-Nisa; Siddiqui, Salma; Friedman, Bruce D.

doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcz130

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…These spiritual healers were found to be influential figures in rural women’s lives in decisions ranging from the place of birth to permission for her mobility during pregnancy and family planning. This practice is very common in Pakistan and families prefer spiritual healers over professional and trained physicians [ 55 , 56 ]. Therefore, it might be advisable to include TBAs more in the medical health system by providing them with adequate training.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of social and cultural practices on maternal mortality: a qualitative study from South Punjab, Pakistan

Omer

Zakar

et al. 2021

Reprod Health

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Background A disproportionately high rate of maternal deaths is reported in developing and underdeveloped regions of the world. Much of this is associated with social and cultural factors, which form barriers to women utilizing appropriate maternal healthcare. A huge body of research is available on maternal mortality in developing countries. Nevertheless, there is a lack of literature on the socio-cultural factors leading to maternal mortality within the context of the Three Delays Model. The current study aims to explore socio-cultural factors leading to a delay in seeking care in maternal healthcare in South Punjab, Pakistan. Methods We used a qualitative method and performed three types of data collection with different target groups: (1) 60 key informant interviews with gynaecologists, (2) four focus group discussions with Lady Health Workers (LHWs), and (3) ten case studies among family members of deceased mothers. The study was conducted in Dera Ghazi Khan, situated in South Punjab, Pakistan. The data was analysed with the help of thematic analysis. Results The study identified that delay in seeking care—and the potentially resulting maternal mortality—is more likely to occur in Pakistan due to certain social and cultural factors. Poor socioeconomic status, limited knowledge about maternal care, and financial constraints among rural people were the main barriers to seeking care. The low status of women and male domination keeps women less empowered. The preference for traditional birth attendants results in maternal deaths. In addition, early marriages and lack of family planning, which are deeply entrenched in cultural values, religion and traditions—e.g., the influence of traditional or spiritual healers—prevented young girls from obtaining maternal healthcare. Conclusion The prevalence of high maternal mortality is deeply alarming in Pakistan. The uphill struggle to reduce deaths among pregnant women is firmly rooted in addressing certain socio-cultural practices, which create constraints for women seeking maternal care. The focus on poverty reduction and enhancing decision-making power is essential for supporting women’s right to medical care.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of social and cultural practices on maternal mortality: a qualitative study from South Punjab, Pakistan

Omer

Zakar

et al. 2021

Reprod Health

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“…These spiritual healers were found to be in uencing gures on rural women's lives from decisions ranging from place of birth to permission of her mobility during pregnancy and family planning. This practice is highly common in Pakistan and families prefer them as compared to professional and trained doctors [55,56].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Social and Cultural Practices on Maternal Mortality: A Qualitative Study from South Punjab, Pakistan

Omer

Zakar

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: A disproportionate high rate of maternal deaths are reported in developing and underdeveloped regions of the world. Much is associated with social and cultural factors which are barriers for women to utilise appropriate maternal health care. A huge body of research is available on maternal mortality in developing countries. Nevertheless, there is paucity of literature on socio-cultural factors leading to maternal mortality within the context of the Three Delay Model. The current study aims to explore socio-cultural factors leading to a delay in seeking care in maternal healthcare in South Punjab, Pakistan. Methods: We used a qualitative method and performed three types of data collection with different target groups: i) 60 key informative interviews with gynaecologists, ii) four focus group discussions with Lady Health Workers (LHWs), and iii) ten case studies among family members of deceased mothers. The study was conducted in Dear Ghazi Khan, situated at South Punjab, Pakistan. Data was analysed with the help of thematic analysis.Results: The study identified that delay in seeking care – and its potentially following maternal mortality – is more likely to occur due to certain social and cultural factors in Pakistan. Poor socioeconomic status, limited knowledge on maternal care, and financial constraints of rural people were the main barriers in seeking care. Low status of women and male domination keeps women less empowered. The preference of traditional birth attendants results into maternal deaths. In addition to that, early marriages and lack of family planning as deeply entrenched in cultural values, religion and traditions – e.g. the influence of spiritual healers – prevented young girls to obtain maternal health care.Conclusion: The situation of maternal mortality is highly alarming in Pakistan. The uphill task of reducing deaths among pregnant women is deeply rooted in addressing certain socio-cultural practices, which are constraints for women seeking maternal care. The focus on reduction of poverty and enhancement of decision-making power is essential for approaching the right of medical care.

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“…29 Limited literature is published from Pakistan so there is a need to generate evidence on quality of life of infertile females. 30,31,32 The objective of this study was to assess the quality of life of infertile females and identify the factors influencing it.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fertility-Related Quality of Life Amongst Married Infertile Females of Lahore

Ashfaq¹

2021

Proceedings S.Z.M.C

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Introduction: In today’s world of science and medicine, assessing ones’ quality of life has become a norm. It provides baseline information for future planning in order to elevate quality of life of individuals and communities. Aims & Objectives: To assess the quality of life of infertile women and identify factors influencing it. Place and duration of study: Data was collected from Lahore General Hospital and Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore during 2019. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 260 married, infertile females attending infertility clinics of two tertiary care hospitals of Lahore. 36-items FertiQoL, an Urdu validated version was used to assess the quality of life of females with infertility. It had six subscales and three total scores. Data was analyzed through SPSS version 22. Results: Mean age of females was found to be 30+5.23 years and 85.8% were not working women. Average duration of infertility was 6.7 years. 61.5% of females presented with primary infertility. 70.4% reported positive attitude of their husband towards this infertility while 56.2% of the participants reported positive attitude of their in-laws as well. 30.8% of the females rated their health as poor. 31.2% reported to be dissatisfied with their overall quality of life. In FertiQoL, ‘Emotional’ subscale showed mean 67±14 SD, ‘Mind-body’ subscale mean 69±14 SD, ‘Relational’ subscale mean 55±14.7 SD, ‘Social’ subscale mean 66.2±14.5 SD, ‘Treatment Environment’ mean 70±17.5 SD and ‘treatment tolerability’ showed mean of 73±17.2 SD. ‘Total scaled core score’ showed mean of 64.5±12 SD, ‘total scaled treatment score’ mean of 69.3±14 SD and ‘total scored FertiQoL score’ showed mean of 66±12 SD. Significant association between family income and mind body subscale; duration of marriage and treatment tolerability; time till infertility diagnosis and treatment environment was found. While overall FertiQoL score and Family Income was found to be significantly associated. Conclusion: Overall quality of life of infertile females is not compromised as was thought of except for its association with family income. Sub scales of mind-body, treatment tolerability and treatment environment were found to be associated with family income, duration of marriage and time till infertility diagnosis respectively. Recognition of factors associated with poor quality of life will help in planning strategies to overcome them during infertility treatment.

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Health Status and Quality of Life of Women Seeking Infertility Treatments in Baluchistan, Pakistan

Cited by 13 publications

References 30 publications

The influence of social and cultural practices on maternal mortality: a qualitative study from South Punjab, Pakistan

The influence of social and cultural practices on maternal mortality: a qualitative study from South Punjab, Pakistan

Influence of Social and Cultural Practices on Maternal Mortality: A Qualitative Study from South Punjab, Pakistan

Fertility-Related Quality of Life Amongst Married Infertile Females of Lahore

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