The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Infertility in Moshi in Northern Tanzania

Ulla Larsen, University of Maryland

This study analyzed the prevalence and risk factors of infertility in a community-based study of 2,019 women ages 20-44 in Moshi, Tanzania. Infertility was measured by the absence of a live birth after 24 months of regular, unprotected intercourse. The associations of infertility and selected characteristics were analyzed using stacked logistic regression. The prevalence of infertility was 8.1% (95% CI, 6.5-10.0). Infertility was associated with sexual practices, as measured by Herpes Simplex Virus-1 and trichomonas infection, as well as with obstetric care, as measured by complications at last delivery and ever had an abortion. The social consequences of infertility were reflected by the finding that women married more than once had more than the double odds of infertility compared to women married once. Infertility was relatively rare in Moshi, in comparison with other Sub-Saharan African communities, and Moshi may serve as a model for efforts aimed at reducing the incidence of infertility.