PROFILE AND TREATMENT SEEKING PATTERN OF MARRIED WOMEN WITH INFERTILITY RESIDING IN RURAL AREA OF NORTHERN KARNATAKA-A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY.
Main Article Content
Keywords
Primary infertility, Secondary infertility, Treatment-seeking pattern, causes of infertility
Abstract
Objectives: According to WHO globally over 60 to 80 million couples suffer from infertility among which 10% are women who are inflicted. Infertility is a serious public health issue with social consequences but is often neglected as it does not cause physical disability. Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) has a limited focus on services for infertile couples. Current study explores the profile of married women with infertility and their treatment-seeking patterns.
Material&Methods: A community-based sectional Study was conducted between 1st January to December 31st, 2019 among 485 married women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years) with infertility residing in the field practice area of KLE JNMC by doing house-to-house visits with ASHA worker. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Results: The majority of infertile women were between 26 to 35 years age group. Around 48% completed secondary schooling, and 80% were housewives belonging to the nuclear family and class II socioeconomic class (SES). Around 70% did not have any knowledge about fertile days in a menstrual cycle and there was a significant association between family history and primary infertility. Around 70% sought allopathic treatment and 32.7% did not seek treatment due to economic reasons.
Conclusions: RMNCH+A includes reproductive and sexual health components, however infertility component is neglected. Hence this study explores the profile of infertile women and the need to include the infertility component in the RCH Programme.
References
2. Sarkar S, Gupta P. Socio-Demographic Correlates of Women’s Infertility and Treatment Seeking Behavior in India. J Reprod Infertil. 2016 Apr-Jun; 17(2): 123–132.
3. Chauhan S, Unisa S, Joshi B, Kulkarni R, Singh A, Subramanian T, et al. Capacity assessment of district health system in India on services for prevention and management of infertility. Indian J Community Med. 2018 Jan 1;43(1):19–23.
4. Shamila S, Sasikala SL. Primary report on the risk factors affecting female infertility in South Indian districts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Indian J Community Med. 2011 Jan;36(1):59–61.
5. Logan S, Gu R, Li W, Xiao S, Anazodo A. Infertility in China: Culture, society and a need for fertility counselling. Asian Pacific J Reprod. 2019 Jan 1;8(1):1–6.
6. Greil AL, Slauson-Blevins K, McQuillan J. The experience of infertility: A review of recent literature. Sociology of Health and Illness. 2010 Jan 25; 32(1): 140–62.
7. Katole A, Saoji A. Prevalence of primary infertility and its associated risk factors in urban population of central India: A community-based cross-sectional study. Indian J Community Med. 2019 Oct 1;44(4):337–41.
8 Adamson PC, Krupp K, Freeman AH, Klausner JD, Reingold AL, Madhivanan P. Prevalence & correlates of primary infertility among young women in Mysore, India. Indian J Med Res. 2011 Oct;134(4):440-6.
9. Khanuja PK, Sunny JA, Pawar SB, Nimbargi V. Study on infertility—etiology, medication therapy management, and outcomes at a tertiary care hospital. Int J Infertil Fetal Med. 2017 Sep 1;8(3):106–12.
10. Sharma N, Sharma S, Ghai S, Kaur I, Kaur J, Kaur H. An exploratory study on treatment seeking behavior and pathways of care followed by couples attending infertility clinic. Int J Infertil Fetal Med. 2018 Jan 1;9(1–2):1–5.
11. Chetana R, Shilpa S. Treatment seeking pattern among infertile couples in a rural area. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2016;3(10):2884–90.
12. Kazmi S, Prakash S, Parveen K, Shaikh S, Prakash G. Prevalence and sociodemographic covariates of infertility in Allahabad district. Int J Community Med Public Heal. 2018 Jul 23;5(8):3372–6
11. Patel A, Sharma PSVN, Narayan P, Binu VS, Dinesh N, Pai PJ. Prevalence and predictors of infertility-specific stress in women diagnosed with primary infertility: A clinic-based study. J Hum Reprod Sci. 2016 Jan 1;9(1):28–34.
12. Kumar N, Singh A. Trends of male factor infertility, an important cause of infertility: A review of literature. J Hum Reprod Sci 2015;8:191-6.
13. P Fatima, MM Hossain, D Rahman, HB Hossain, HN Hossain, FA Hossain C. Treatment Seeking Behavior and the Profile of Infertile Patients Attending the Tertiary Infertility Center at Dhaka. J Bangladesh Coll Phys Surg. 2016;34(3):140–4.