Infertility in marriage has thrown many family in foes, from the husband treating the wife like she is less important and the extended family despising the wife. The joy of every home is having kids to play with in the home but this joy turns to bitterness when it there is no cry of a baby in the home.
Infertility is medically defined as a disease of the reproductive system. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.
How has this infertility connected to domestic violence in the home and why have it caused many women to lose their marriage.
Research have shown so far that there are serious correlation to it and infertile women are at risk of experiencing violence within their marriages and relationships, and this signs starts to manifest when they are diagnosed of infertility.
Infertility is an emotional and psychological problem that can cause a serious strain on a marriage. The stress, grief, and feelings of inadequacy associated with failed conception can trigger aggressive behaviors, sometimes escalating into outright violence.
Studies highlight a disturbing statistic: infertile women face a markedly increased risk of domestic violence compared to women who have children.Research have proofed that over 78% of infertile women were subjected to violence for the first time after receiving their diagnosis proving that infertility can trigger anger.
Cultural factor is also seen as a huge factor that trigger violence in the marriage. In many communities, the woman is valued and respected when she has children and also when the infertility sets in the women are often the scapegoat,this leads to social isolation, economic punishment, and also make the woman feel less important in the society, which in turn makes the woman incredibly vulnerable to abuse not only from her partner but also from extended family members seeking to add more pressure to what she is facing. This lack of support and the stigma placed by the culture create an environment where violence is more likely to be tolerated or even encouraged.
Some culture still put huge blame on the women when the fail to give birth to a male child not to talk of not giving birth to any child at all. Most time the man is advised to seek an opportunity with another woman outside the marriage, which place huge pressure on the woman making her feel less of herself.
The combination of infertility and domestic violence create a very dangerous pattern. The emotional fallout of infertility can lead to violence or create trauma of experiencing violence which includes psychological, physical, and sexual forms which can throw the woman into depression.
Psychological violence, such as verbal abuse and emotional manipulation, is often cited or seen as the most common form of abuse. Ultimately, this perpetual stress cycle is strongly correlated with a severely decreased quality of life for infertile women.
How do we fight this
It is very important for healthcare providers, support organizations, and the society to understand that domestic violence is big risk factor in the context of infertility.
Addressing this issue does not only require fertility support but also immediate safety planning, psychological counseling, educative measures to tackle cultural narratives that unjustly put blame on women for infertility.
Safe homes and safe lives must be a priority for all women, especially those navigating the difficult and often dangerous journey of infertility.
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