A qualitative scoping review of the psychosocial aspects of infertility among women across Africa

Infertility is defined as a disease of the reproductive system, characterised by the inability to conceive after 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. While psychosocial research on infertility is widespread across Africa, focused examinations within specific national contexts remain limited. This scoping review maps the psychosocial research on infertility conducted in Ghana between 2000 and 2025. Searches were conducted across nine academic databases and grey literature sources. Studies were included if they were published in English and reported original qualitative findings from Ghanaian women diagnosed with primary or secondary infertility. 476 studies at the title and abstract stage from a total of 493 identified in the database search were found and screening resulted in 10 articles being included in the scoping review. Most of the studies (40%) were conducted in Accra. The psychosocial aspects explored included quality of life, stigma, mental health, treatment-seeking behaviours and sociocultural and religious influences on infertility experiences. This review provides a comprehensive overview of existing psychosocial research on infertility among Ghanaian women and highlights key gaps for future study, particularly in relation to long-term support and intervention development.