Infertility can be described as a physical state wherein a person lacks the ability to procreate. It is important to understand that infertility is prevalent across the gender spectrum and is not restricted to any specific gender/sex. Over 12–18 million couples in India are diagnosed with infertility every year. This number is constantly increasing, affecting families all over the country. The current fertility rate for India in 2023 is 2.139 births per woman, a 0.93% decline from 2022.
There are various types of infertility ranging from primary to secondary and even unexplained, however that's a topic for another time!
In India, 8% of currently married women suffered from infertility and most of them were secondary infertile (5.8%). The infertility rate for women in the country was the highest in West Bengal (13.9%) and the lowest in Meghalaya (2.5%). Women in general are subjected to a lot of condescension and blame when it comes to infertility due to stringent, and oftentimes superficial societal expectations which may cause a series of harmful effects that are detrimental not only to their physical wellbeing but also have a grave mental/psychological effect. A recent literature review on the prevalence of psychological symptoms in infertility concluded that 25% to 60% of infertile individuals report psychiatric symptoms and that their levels of anxiety and depression are significantly higher than in fertile controls.
To this day, barren women in rural areas are looked down upon and their infertility is a ‘taboo’ as local people subscribe to the belief that infertility is impure and contagious and this could lead to them being excluded from society or societal groups in general.
EmpowHer preaches to raise awareness about this issue and destigmatize infertility in women with the aim to empower and support them such that they can continue to lead healthy and happy lives!
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