Prevalence and Psychosocial Consequences of Infertility among Rural Residents of Vijayapur Area of Karnataka.

Abstract

Infertility is a public health problem affecting around 8-10% of the couple worldwide. It has an impact on their physical, mental and social wellbeing. Aim and Objectives: To determine the prevalence and to assess the psychosocial consequences of infertility among rural residents of Vijayapur area of Karnataka. Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in the rural field practice area between March 2015 - February 2016. Complete enumeration of all the houses was done to list all eligible couples and those who were exposed to risk of pregnancy and had infertility were identified. A validated “Fertility problem inventory scale” was used to assess the psychosocial consequences of infertility and impact was seen at four levels i.e., personal, sexual, social, marital. Results:Atotal of 106 participants were included. The prevalence of infertility was 7.6%. Conflict within the marriage was highest (mean scores 60.3), followed by decline in sexual relationship (mean scores 55.9), personal impact (mean scores 44.3) and social impact (mean scores 38.8).Conclusion: The results revealed that the couples have poor well-being on all the dimensions. There is need of awareness generation and counselling.