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Background: Subfertility is a global issue that affects approximately 48 million couples worldwide. Recent advances in fertility care have brought revolutionary advances in reproductive medicine. Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) is one of the upcoming fertility treatment modalities in Sri Lanka. Poor knowledge and negative attitudes regarding ART among subfertile couples will negatively impact their outcome. Objectives: This study assessed the knowledge and attitude towards assisted reproductive technology among subfertile women followed up at Teaching Hospital Jaffna. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 126 subfertile women attending the Subfertility Clinic at Teaching Hospital Jaffna. All subfertile women were included regardless of whether ART was considered in their care. The study instrument was an interviewer-administered questionnaire. SPSS statistical software was used to analyze the data, and influencing factors were analyzed using the Chi-square test and ANOVA. Results: This study included 126 participants; most (46%) were in the 30-40 age group educated up to O/L. Most of them (70.6%) suffered from primary subfertility with a duration of less than five years. Only 17.5% of women had moderate knowledge, and none had good knowledge of ART. More than half of them have a negative attitude about gamete donation and gestational surrogacy. Only 25.4% of participants could afford the cost of ART. Fifty-four per cent of participants expected ART facilities to be provided in the government sector. The participants' educational qualification (p=0.039) and subfertility duration (p=0.006) significantly influenced their knowledge regarding assisted reproductive technologies. Conclusion: Subfertile women show a lack of awareness regarding ART and a negative viewpoint regarding third-party ART treatment. Financial constraints play a key role in seeking ART services.
Raguraman et al. (Wed,) studied this question.