Title: Health-Related Quality of Life and its Associated Factors among Infertile women
compared with fertile women in Public Hospital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-
Sectional Study
Version: 2 Date: 09 Jan 2024
Reviewer's report:
To: BMC Women's Health
Title: Health-Related Quality of Life and its Associated Factors among Infertile women
compared with fertile women in Public Hospital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-
Sectional Study
Thank you very much to give a chance to review this paper which has a great impact on
improving reproductive life of women.
Title: very impressive and attractive
Abstract:
Background: It should not indicate the gap of your study. Please try to write the gap shortly
and precisely.
Method: ------among 287 infertile and 301 fertile women. What is the ratio of infertile and fertile
women?
Conclusion: what is your reference to say it is higher?
Background
General comment
- Burden of the problem should be explained from abroad to specific area
- English, grammar, punctuation mark, logical flow should be maintained
- It is very shallow
Method
Study setting, Study design and period
- --------hospitals in three of the three public infertility clinics located in Addis Ababa –it is not
clear please rewrite again.
------namely GMH, SPHMMC, and TASH. Please write the full name of the institution.
Participants
All clients with infertility problem visiting the public hospitals’ outpatient infertility clinic and
all clients without infertility problem visiting family planning clinic in the same hospitals was
the source population.
-What about the study population? You have to clearly define your study population and study
unit
-How and when do you diagnose infertility?
-If a client visits for the first time with complaint of unable to conceive, can you incorporate her?
Sample size calculation
------= 690 for both groups (345 for infertile women and 345 for comparison group). It is not
similar with the abstract. See the above comment on the abstract.
----The sampling interval was 7, and based on the first random number selected, TASH, GMH
and SPHMMC, every 11th, 9th, and 12th respectively was taken for each facility.
--What is 7 ?
-what is K ? to calculate K first you have to now the reference population in each institution?
---If 7 is you K how it could be every 11th, 9th, and 12th  ? it is not clear please see and modify
again.
---
-what about inclusion and exclusion criteria of your study?
Operational and term definitions
Almost of your definitions are lack of references. Please put the references
Result
-English, logical flow, and grammatical issues are very huge so try to see it.
Discussion
----Fertile women had a higher magnitude of HRQoL in the psychological and social relation
domains as well as in the total mean or overall quality of life. What is your reference to say
higher?
--- There was no significant difference in the magnitude of HRQoL in the physical domain
between the two groups. What will be the rationale behind this?
----- Furthermore; the study identified several factors that were significantly associated with
the total mean of HRQoL in both fertile and infertile women. These factors included------------
Additionally, previous history of sexually transmitted disease, educational level of husband,
maternal occupation, and husband occupation were significant factors associated with the total
mean of HRQoL in fertile women.
What is the importance of putting this paragraph? It is already mention under result section.
Better if remove it.
------ Nigeria (20,39,22). The lack of difference concerning the physical domain of the quality of
life in this study might be attributed to the diversity in socio-economic contexts, characteristics
of the participants, or a combination of all.
---This justification is not novel and scientifically sound, so please see it again.
--generally, the discussion section has English and grammar problem, shallow, and invariable
justification.
Conclusion
-to say low and high reference is mandatory.