Female Infertility as A Public Health Challenge in India: Evidence, Healthcare Gaps and Policy Priorities

Abstract

Female infertility is a condition that has an immense impact on millions of Indian women; however, there has been little effort towards incorporating it in the nation’s reproductive and public health policies. Studies carried out using meta-analyses and national surveys found the prevalence of primary infertility to be between 4% and 17%, while there have been increased reports of secondary infertility due to age of marriage, changes in lifestyles, environmental factors, and reproductive tract infections that remain untreated. Although there is a large number of people suffering from the problem, infertility care in India is quite fragmented since care services are mostly provided by the private sector which remains mostly unregulated, costs of care are relatively high, public insurance schemes do not cover any infertility procedures, especially ART. There have been efforts towards legislation through the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 but much more has to be done regarding the affordability, equity, and surveillance of the issue.