ArticleReproductive health2020
A rapid scoping review of fear of infertility in Africa.
Article in Reproductive health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Male Infertility and the Subsequent Risk of Cancer.Frontiers in oncology · 2021Pooled it
- Debunking COVID-19 vaccine misinformation with an audio drama in Ghana, a randomized control trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Impacts of Contraception on Future Fertility: Addressing Concerns to Improve Understanding.Studies in family planning · 2026Article
- Perceptions and treatment-seeking experiences for infertility among women in rural South Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Prevalence of Infertility, Associated Factors, and Treatment Seeking Among Reproductive Age Couples in Merhabete Woreda, Northshewa Ethiopia, 2023: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Perceived drivers of teenage pregnancies and barriers to utilization of contraceptive methods among adolescents in Rwanda: perspectives of adolescents and healthcare providers.Contraception and reproductive medicine · 2026Article
- Fertility in the Shadow of Cancer: Experiences of Reproductive Loss Among Women with Gynecological Cancers in Ghana.PloS one · 2026Article
- An in-depth interview study of women's perspectives on the effects of contraceptive use on future fertility in Ethiopia and Kenya.SSM. Qualitative research in health · 2025Article
- What to expect when you want to be expecting: time-to-pregnancy expectations and anticipated worry and help-seeking among a nationally representative survey of women in Uganda.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Article
- Men's Voices on Long-Acting Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Delivery Modalities: Acceptability and Preferences Among Cisgender Men and Men Who Have Sex With Men in South Africa.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2025Article
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- The Association Between Hormonal Contraceptive Use and Anemia Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women: An Analysis of Data From 51 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2024Article
- Does girls' empowerment predict contraceptive intentions? Evidence from a survey of secondary school girls in Northwest Nigeria.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2023Article
- Perceptions of indigenous ugandan men on the use of long acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) by rural women.Contraception and reproductive medicine · 2023Article
- The Relationship Between Contraceptive Method Use and Return of Fecundity Among Women Attempting Pregnancy in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.Demography · 2023Article
- Motivators and Influencers of Adolescent Girls' Decision Making Regarding Contraceptive Use in Four Districts of Zambia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Mapping Evidence Regarding Decision-Making on Contraceptive Use among Adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- "You could find a good or a bad provider, I would say you just have to go and see": A qualitative study of the influence of perceptions of service quality on family planning service use in Burkina Faso.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundFear of infertility (FOI) is often reported in studies about reproductive health but this literature not yet mapped. The aim of this rapid scoping review of qualitative studies was to describe the nature of FOI in Africa.
methodsEligibility criteria were qualitative data from Africa reporting views of women and men of any age. MEDLINE and CINAHL databases were searched for English language citations to February 2019 using keywords related to fear, infertility and Africa. Two independent reviewers screened texts for inclusion.
resultsOf 248 citations identified, 38 qualitative and six review papers were included. FOI was reported in diverse groups (e.g., men, women, fertile, infertile, married, unmarried, teachers, religious leaders). Two types of fears were identified: (1) fear of triggering infertility due to specific reproductive choices and (2) fear of the dire future consequences of infertility. Choices were perceived to affect fertility via internal accumulation and blockage (e.g., of menstrual blood), structural damage (e.g., burnt eggs), internal movement of contraceptive material, deliberate toxicity preventing population growth and behavioral effects impeding sexual activity. Diverse feared consequences of infertility were reported (e.g., polygamy, economic hardships). Fears were reported to affect reproductive behaviour (e.g., stopping contraception), help-seeking and social behaviour.
conclusionFOI is a phenomenon that should be studied in its own right. Fears could originate from genuine threats, incorrect knowledge, distortions of truths, or dissemination of false information. Rigorous studies are needed to better understand FOI and integrate it in health education, client counselling and family planning service provision.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.