Sri Raghavi V and M. Bhuvaneswari
Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore
Pages: 128 – 137
Primary infertility is a growing public health issue that carries much social shame and has negative mental health implications. According to a poll by the Indian Institute of Population Studies in Mumbai (2010), 13 to 19 million couples are likely to be infertile out of 250 million people pursuing motherhood at any given moment. According to India’s census statistics (2011 – 2001 – 1991 – 1981), childlessness has increased by 50%. It is crucial to highlight that the psychological distress experienced by infertile couples differs by culture, demonstrating that cultural and societal variables play a significant role in how infertility is perceived. Various articles have revealed the causatives of the increase in infertility in biological and psychological modalities. Still, few studies have concentrated on psychosocial sufferings and cultural dimensions of infertility, especially in a Pronatalistic society like India. Adopting Qualitative methods, the current study investigated the societal brunt associated with infertility and attitude towards alternatives such as adoption, Treatment seeking behavior, and surrogacy in India and other countries. Research studies from PUBMED, Frontier, ScienceDirect, Google Scholars, and other relevant journals were accessed and reviewed. This study is a pioneer and nascent that invites mental health experts to address this problem by developing suitable therapies while keeping cultural ideology in mind.
Keywords: Infertility, Stigma, Psychosocial consequences.