Prevalence of Infertility, its Risk Factors and Child Adoption Behavior in Ambala, India

Background: Infertility is a significant health issue in India, impacting couples emotionally and socially. This study assesses the prevalence of infertility and explores factors affecting infertility and child adoption behavior among women aged 18?45 in Ambala. Conducted in the MMIMSR field practice area, this cross-sectional study used structured questionnaires to gather data on sociodemographic factors, lifestyle, and adoption preferences. Findings revealed primary and secondary infertility rates of 14.8% and 13.4%, respectively, with factors like age, BMI, and smoking habits strongly associated with infertility. Limited awareness of infertility treatment and child adoption laws underscores the need for educational outreach and policy reforms to support affected individuals. Aim: To study the prevalence, sociodemographic profile, lifestyle factors, treatment seeking and child adoption behaviour. Material and Method: This study was conducted in the rural and urban field practice area of MMIMSR, Mullana, Ambala. The study population included all consenting married women aged between 18 to 45 years who are living with their partner for >1 year. This study was done over a period of one year i.e., December2022 to February 2024 using pre-tested, semi structured questionnaire collecting data about the socio-demographic profile, lifestyle factors, treatment seeking and child adoption behaviour. The collected data was entered in excel sheet and analysed using IBM SPSS version 23. Results: Majority of the study population 287(57.4%) were in age group 25-35 years, and 163(32.6%) were in 35-45 years age group while 50(10%) patients were in age group 18 ? 25years.Mean age of the study population being 32.65?5.616. The prevalence of primary infertility was 14.8% and that of secondary infertility is 13.4%. Infertility is associated with increasing age (P=.001), high BMI of study participant, high BMI of partner, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, frequent intake of junk food and history of TB infection. There was no increase in prevalence of infertility in patients with thyroid disease. Conclusion: There is limited knowledge among study participants and community regarding infertility, its treatment options and there is hesitancy to seek treatment. Very few participants had knowledge about child adoption and laws related to it. Regular health checkups for early detection of chronic diseases should be done. Encouraging age-appropriate marriage, promoting healthy lifestyle and early screening through healthcare programs needs to be emphasized. Establishing a country level surveillance system for gathering information about infertility is the need of the day.