A survey of infertility, surgical sterility and associated reproductive disability in Perth, Western Australia.

Infertility, surgical sterility and associated reproductive disability were studied in a stratified cluster sample of 1,511 couples with women aged 16 to 44 years resident in metropolitan Perth in 1988. Sixteen couples were omitted from analysis because of missing data. The proportion of couples affected by current infertility was 3.5 per cent (53 of 1,495), and 67.9 per cent of these (36 of 53) had a reproductive disability, meaning that they were unable to achieve their desired level of reproductive function. Those affected by surgical sterility accounted for 37.1 per cent (555 of 1,495), and of these couples 2.0 per cent (11 of 555) had a reproductive disability. Empirically, the prevalence of both infertility and reproductive disability peaked at ages 30 to 34 years in the female partner. Of the factors studied, infertility was associated with surgery for a ruptured appendix, a history of pelvic inflammatory disease and number of sexual partners. In 10 of the 47 couples with reproductive disability, contraceptive sterilisation had been a cause of later regret. Most other cases were due to infertility. Almost one half of couples with reproductive disability had sought treatment. The affected couples had at least one child from the current union in 23 of the 47 cases of reproductive disability. The results support the need for development of a strategy to prevent infertility and other causes of reproductive disability.