Abstract

Background: Infertility is a major reproductive health problem with psychological,
social, and relational consequences, particularly in settings where childbearing is
closely linked to marital stability and women’s social status. Intimate partner
violence (IPV) may be intensified by infertility-related stigma; however, limited
evidence has examined whether IPV exposure and its predictors differ according to
infertility etiology.
Aim of the work: To assess IPV exposure among women with primary infertility
and identify sociodemographic and partner-related predictors across different
infertility etiologies at the ART Unit, International Islamic Center for Population
Studies and Research (IICPSR), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 390 married women
with primary infertility, equally allocated into female-factor, male-factor, and
combined/unknown infertility groups. Data were collected through structured faceto-face interviews covering sociodemographic characteristics, health status,
infertility profile, and IPV exposure using the Infertile Women’s Exposure to
Violence Determination Scale (IWEVDS). Group comparisons and within-group
predictor analyses were performed, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.
Results: Marriage duration differed significantly across infertility groups (p =
0.003), with male-factor infertility more frequently presenting within 2 - 5 years of
marriage. Reproductive disease adversely affecting pregnancy outcome was
substantially more frequent in the female-factor group (53.9%) than in the malefactor (6.2%) and combined/unknown groups (15.5%) (p < 0.001). Total IWEVDS
scores were highest in the female-factor group, although the between-group
difference was not statistically significant. Item-level analysis revealed significant
differences in physical abuse due to infertility (Q6, p = 0.01) and being taunted as
the “childless woman” (Q10, p = 0.02). Husband's education was a consistent factor
across all groups, while partner unemployment, partner drug/medication/sedative
use, and prolonged infertility or treatment duration were associated with higher IPV
exposure in selected etiologic groups.
Conclusion: IPV exposure among women with primary infertility is shaped by both
sociodemographic vulnerability and infertility-related relational stress. An
etiology-stratified approach may improve risk identification and supports
integrating confidential IPV screening, psychosocial counseling, and referral
pathways into infertility care.

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