Knowledge and Acceptance of In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) in Surulere Local Government Area, Lagos, South-West Nigeria

Abstract

The joy of every married couple especially in Africa is to procreate and enjoy parenthood.
However, this ambition is not always true among some couples due to infertility. The negative
consequences of infertility are greater in degree in developing countries where modern fertility
treatments are scarce and information are lacking. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to examine knowledge and acceptance of In-vitro Fertilization (IVF); one of the modern methodsof Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) used primarily to address infertility. This is a cross sectional quantitative study conducted among 254 fertile and 45 infertile respondents in three wards of Surulere Local Government Area, Lagos State, Nigeria, to examine the knowledge and acceptance of IVF. Result found that majority of the fertile (62.2%) and of the infertile (64.4%) had no knowledge of ART. However, the majority of the infertile were willing to accept the technology if it can be highly subsidised. Significant relationships exist between respondents’ education and knowledge of IVF in the two categories of respondents;knowledge and acceptance of IVF among infertile respondents, and income and the acceptance of IVF among infertile respondents (p<0.05).The study concluded that there is need for public enlightenment of IVF worldwide and the government should set up highly subsidised units across the country to sustain the technology in developing countries, particularly, in Surulere LGA, Southwestern Nigeria.