# Violence and its related factors among infertile women attending assisted reproductive technique unit at Al-Azhar University, Cairo

## TL;DR

This study found that over half of infertile women in Egypt experience moderate to high levels of violence, with factors like low income and gender inequality playing a role.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific socio-demographic and societal factors associated with violence against infertile women in Egypt.

## Key findings

- 50.5% of infertile women experienced moderate or high violence.
- Lower-educated husbands and low-income families were linked to higher violence exposure.
- Gender inequality acceptance in society increased the likelihood of violence.

## Abstract

Violence against women is a distressing issue particularly when they are infertile. Nevertheless, many women who are infertile and exposed to violence continue their marriage and justify such choice.

The current study aimed to assess the prevalence of violence against infertile women and its associated factors.

This cross-sectional study involved 364 Egyptian women with primary infertility; they were randomly selected from the assisted reproductive technique unit of Al-Azhar University’s International Islamic Center for Population Studies and Research. The data were collected through an interview questionnaire including the Infertile Women’s Exposure to Violence Determination Scale (IWEVDS), socio-demographic, conception, and community-related factors.

Moderate/high violence level was detected among 50.5% (95% CI = 45.3- 55.8%) of the studied infertile women, the mean ± SD of total score of IWEVDS was 48.27 ± 21.6. Exclusion was the most frequent type of violence among them. Binary logistic regression revealed that wives who had lower-educated husbands, lived in low-income families, had undergone prior IVF treatment, and who perceived gender inequality acceptance in society were more likely to expose to violence than others (OR = 3.76, 4.25, 2.05, and 2.08 respectively) (P value < 0.05).

Infertile women have frequent exposure to different types of violence and many factors were implicated in such condition. Despite exposure to violence, infertile women refused divorce because they had no alternative financial sources as well as they were afraid of loneliness. A community mobilization approach to control this problem through a collaboration of all stakeholders is recommended.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-024-19433-6.