Infertility tied to relationship disruption in Ghana

Infertility is taking its toll on relationships in Ghana. New research shows Ghanaian women who have problems conceiving are more likely to experience relationship breakdown. The first long-term study of its kind, carried out by Dr Jasmine Fledderjohann, of Lancaster University, focused on information from 1,364 women. It was based on data collected by the Population Council of New York and the University of Cape Coast in six communities in Ghana over a period of six years. The study showed: Self-identified infertility is strongly linked to an increased risk of relationship disruption Married women with infertility have significantly lower odds of experiencing disruption in their relationships than infertile women who are in non-marital relationships Women in polygynous relationships are more vulnerable than monogamously married women, and likely to experience relationship instability, separation or divorce The report, " Difficulties Conceiving and Relationship Stability in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Ghana " is published in the European Journal of Population. Little is known about the association between infertility and relationship instability in Sub-Saharan Africa. Small-scale qualitative studies, including previous work by Dr. Fledderjohann, have shown that women who identify themselves as infertile report themselves to be at greater risk of marital discord and disruption.