Clinical pattern of Infertility among Couple in Reproductive Age Group Attending in a Tertiary Care Centre.

Abstract

Background Infertility is the inability to conceive after a period of one year of regular unprotected intercourse. The problem of infertility has affected about 10-15% of couples worldwide including Nepal. About 6.9-9.3% is the approximate prevalence of infertility in developing countries. Objective To investigate the age distribution and ethnicity, factors of infertility, and association between age of marriage and infertility among infertile couples attending infertility clinic in the tertiary care. Method A Descriptive Cross-Sectional study was carried out among the participants (n=156) those enrolled between 1st March 2024 and 30thMay 2024 among reproductive age group couples attending in Infertility clinic of Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital. Data was collected and analyzed in by using SPSS version 17.0. Result Among 156 infertile couples,19% Brahman, 34% were Chhetri followed by 24% Newar, 16% Mongolian and 7% Madhesi. The study revealed that infertility in 34% of cases was female, 30.1% was male, 22.4% is both male and female, and 13.5% is unknown. The study found that out of 53 infertile females, 41.51% had tubal abnormalities, followed by ovarian, multiple, and uterine abnormalities. The most common problem studied in male was semen abnormalities like asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, azoospermia, and teratozoospermia. The mean age of male was 33.37 years with minimum age being 20 years and maximum 48 years. In case of female subjects, mean age was 30.56 years with youngest age being 18 and oldest being 44. Conclusion Infertility is a global health challenge as the fertility rate has been steadily falling since 1976. The incidence of secondary infertility was found to be 6.9-9.3%. This may be linked to changes in people's socioeconomic situations, such as women not having better access to healthcare and education, as well as the successful execution of government policy resource. Fertility varies, nevertheless, depending on factors including caste/ethnic group, religion, ecological zone, and residential region. We should aim to raise the nation's literacy rate and begin the improvement at the local level.