Infertility among Indian Women: Emerging Evidence and Need for Policy Measures

Niharika Tripathi, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Infertility is a life crisis with invisible losses, and its consequences are manifold. Through analysis of data from a nationally representative survey (2007-08) of more than 600,000 women, the extent and magnitude of infertility among Indians and their treatment-seeking behavior is examined for the first time in this paper. According to these data, about three percent of women are childless and two percent reported having infertility problems. Among the infertile women, the majority had primary infertility and most went for treatment. It was also found that despite seeking allopathic treatment, some women also go to traditional healers, or religious or faith healers. The mushrooming of “infertility clinics” in recent years is an indication of rising demand for treatment among affluent Indians. Because most clinics are in the private sector, regulating mechanisms to monitor the functioning of infertility clinics are needed.