A study to identify the risk factors associated with infertility among women attending Infertility Clinic at Sandhya Hospital, Vallalar, Vellore

A study to identify the risk factors associated with infertility among women attending infertility clinic at Sandhya Hospital, Vellore. INTRODUCTION Reproduction is the gift of God to all living creations. God created this world for all his living creations to reproduce and fill and flourish it. Fertility plays a vital role in a woman’s life. In our tradition fertility is the most important part of marital life. Loss of this precious aspect, indeed results in stress. Infertility is the inability to become pregnant even after one year of unprotected sex. Both men and women contribute to this threat. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine the prevalence of infertility is about 5.3 million among the Americans, or 9% of the reproductive age population. Childlessness is around 2.5% in India. AIM OF THE STUDY To identify the risk factors contributing to infertility and to associate the risk factors with infertility. METHODOLOGY It was a descriptive study .The study was conducted in the infertility clinic at Sandhya Hospital; Vellore.100 women attending the infertility clinic were selected as the samples by systematic random sampling. The tool used for the study was Structured Interview Schedule and Document Schedule. RESULTS This study identified certain modifiable factors contributing towards infertility. There was a significant association between most of these factors and infertility. Also they were significantly associated with 84 certain demographic variables. They study thus also identified that with certain awareness on the modifiable factors and ways to modify them will always contribute towards betterment of women’s health in terms of fertility. Women with irregular menstrual cycle were at a risk for developing infertility. Body mass index was significantly associated with infertility. It was estimated that women with PCOD were at a risk of developing infertility. Majority of the women (70%) who experienced marital conflicts attend the infertility clinic for infertility. CONCLUSION The study concluded that irregular menstrual cycle, marital and familial conflicts, overweight, more of non vegetarian foods, lack of exercise etc were some common risk factors associated with infertility