Table 2 Coding tree for the experiences of women living with involuntary childlessness

Inadequate social support

Perceived change in social status

I am not allowed to use our property like land

I am not considered as a wife

They do not involve me in making decisions that concern our family

I am not ever invited for family meetings and gathering

My In-laws sent me away from my marital home

I have pressure from in-law on the husband’s side to give them a child

My in-laws and friends are getting women for my husband

Altered Social relations

I cannot attend social gatherings, including weddings, birthday parties

My husband cannot take me to social gatherings

All of my in-laws do not visit our home

My friends are hiding from me

I do not have genuine friends

They do not involve me in topics related to children and other community involvement

Everyone gave up on me

Marital instability

Infidelity

My marriage is considered temporary because I do not have a child

My husband has requested to marry another woman

My husband married another woman

My husband doesn’t come back home

My husband has extra-marital relations

Lack of partner support

My husband refused to visit the hospital with me

My partner doesn’t buy food; he refused to provide all the basic needs, he doesn’t give me money for treatment

My husband is not patient

Psychological torture

Verbal abuse

My husband abused me that I am a witch

People in my community call me terrible names, and so my in-laws

Being called a thief, a person with bad luck, a barren woman, a prostitute, a witch

Emotional Abuse

I am a topic of discussion in my neighborhood,

No empathy from the doctors

People see me as an enemy

I am despised by my in-laws

They see me as a problem

I am blamed for not giving birth

Internalized Stigma

I feel like a problem to

I no longer want to see any of my friends

They think I am an enemy

They say I am wasting my husband’s money and food

Continued Grief

Feeling emotional

I feel stressed

I have anger towards myself

I am unhappy

I feel sad all the time

I cannot stop hurting

Feelings of Hopelessness and loss

I have pain that I can’t express as they call me selfish

I feel the pain of loss

I feel terrible

I feel rejected by my friends

I have lost hope

I feel like God has forsaken me

I cry all the time

Failure attributed to childlessness

Failed expectations

I have not only failed myself but also failed the community expectations

I have failed my partner and family expectations

Unmet expectations of motherhood

I wish I had a baby

I cannot control my mind, I think of a baby all the time

My husband is always lamenting about not having a child

Financial constraints

Expensive medicines and investigations

I cannot afford the laboratory tests and other investigations

I did not buy all the drugs that were prescribed

Unaffordable treatments and procedures

I did not do for the procedure because I couldn’t afford it

I keep postponing treatment

I cannot afford to undergo IVF