Resumen

DIAZ BERNAL, Zoe  y  GARCIA JORDA, Dailys. Culture on motherhood and fatherhood and its impact on the concept of infertility. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2010, vol.36, n.3, pp. 198-203. ISSN 1561-3127.

Introduction Infertility is an event that whenever it occurs, it causes the re-shaping of the expectations about motherhood and fatherhood. Objectives To explore the existing culture in Cuba about motherhood and fatherhood and its impact on the concept of infertility, as well as to know how this is perceived by the individual and the community. Methods In-depth interviews were administered to 9 experts in human reproduction and public health, who were selected through a cascade-sampling from a key informant. The number of interviews was defined according to the "saturation" criterion" of the information received. Results The first result was the identification of three stages: Cuba before the revolution, the 60´s and the last 20 years up to the present. All the interviewed experts agreed that the woman-mother binomial persisted, it was just that the level of culture had increased, which made the woman decide the most suitable time for her to become a mother and the number of children -one child or two at most- leading to a critical situation in terms of the natural replacement of the Cuban population. Regarding infertile men, two experts pointed out that their virility is generally questioned by the Cuban society. Limited information on the perception of infertility by the infertile couple and the community as well was obtained. Conclusions Within the social-cultural pattern of the Cuban society, it is recognized that the woman is the responsible for making a decision of having offspring or not and of the number of children. The above-mentioned has an impact on the concept of infertility, starting from the controlled medical care with the couple´s experience being excluded and the man being practically absent to the medical care appointments, to the limited information available regarding what the men, the infertile couple and the Cuban family feel in case of infertility.

Palabras clave : Reproductive health; infertility; in-depth interviews; qualitative research.

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