Patra Shraboni, Unisa Sayeed
Department of Population and Development, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, India.
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, India.
Front Reprod Health. 2022 Aug 30;4:978085. doi: 10.3389/frph.2022.978085. eCollection 2022.
To make informed decisions on fertility treatment, couples need to understand the treatment options available to them. A wide range of treatment options is available from the traditional and biomedical service providers in India. There is a dearth of research to find out factors that influence the treatment-seeking behavior of couples, particularly in rural areas.
The study aimed to document the treatment-seeking behavior of women for their infertility problems. Further, the research focused on the socio-economic determinants affecting allopathic treatment-seeking of women and the services needed for couples experiencing infertility in rural India.
The study is cross-sectional. Primary data were collected from the two high infertility prevalence districts. Complete mapping and listing were carried out to identify the eligible respondents. A total of 159 ever-married women (20-49 years) out of 172 identified women were interviewed. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed.
Among 159 interviewed women, only three did not seek any kind of treatment. Of the 156 women, 63, 65, and 28 women (mutually exclusive) received first, second and third-order treatment, respectively. The number of women decreased in the succeeding phases of infertility. Women aged above 35 years, were significantly less (OR = 0.310, < 0.05) compared to women aged below 30 years to receive allopathic treatment. The use of allopathic treatment was significantly three times higher among women who were educated (OR = 3.712, < 0.01) and two times higher among those who were exposed (OR = 2.217, < 0.5) to media. Further, for those who had felt the treatment was necessary, about 30, 44, 10, and 19% mentioned that due to unaffordability, inaccessibility, or inconveniences they couldn't consult allopathic treatment.
Timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment play important role in infertility management. Women who are more educated and are exposed to media tend to consult allopathic treatment. Similarly, time and money spent on care vary significantly and independently by type of treatment and socioeconomic factors. There is a need for mandatory insurance coverage for infertility treatment enacted by the state government. In addition to the public services, the private sector and the traditional healers are both important alternative sources of first help.
为了对生育治疗做出明智的决策，夫妻需要了解他们可选择的治疗方案。印度的传统和生物医学服务提供者提供了广泛的治疗选择。目前缺乏研究来找出影响夫妻寻求治疗行为的因素，尤其是在农村地区。
该研究旨在记录女性针对不孕问题的治疗寻求行为。此外，该研究聚焦于影响女性寻求西医治疗的社会经济决定因素以及印度农村地区不孕夫妻所需的服务。
该研究为横断面研究。从两个不孕率高发地区收集了原始数据。进行了完整的地图绘制和清单编制以确定符合条件的受访者。在172名已识别的女性中，共采访了159名曾结婚的女性（年龄在20 - 49岁之间）。进行了双变量和多变量分析。
在159名接受采访的女性中，只有3名未寻求任何治疗。在这156名女性中，分别有63名、65名和28名女性（相互排斥）接受了一级、二级和三级治疗。在不孕的后续阶段，女性数量减少。与30岁以下的女性相比，35岁以上的女性接受西医治疗的比例显著更低（OR = 0.310，P < 0.05）。受过教育的女性使用西医治疗的比例显著高出三倍（OR = 3.712，P < 0.01），接触过媒体的女性使用西医治疗的比例高出两倍（OR = 2.217，P < 0.5）。此外，对于那些认为有必要进行治疗的人，约30%、44%、10%和19%的人提到由于负担不起、无法获得或不便，他们无法咨询西医治疗。
及时诊断和适当治疗在不孕管理中起着重要作用。受过更多教育且接触过媒体的女性倾向于咨询西医治疗。同样，在治疗上花费的时间和金钱因治疗类型和社会经济因素而有显著且独立的差异。州政府有必要制定不孕治疗的强制保险覆盖政策。除了公共服务外，私营部门和传统治疗师都是重要的首要求助替代来源。
