Almost half of young couples in the 31-40 years age bracket in South India are infertile, a survey has found. About a third of this group has already undergone IVF (in vitro fertilisation) treatment and the rest are considering opting for infertility treatment.

Four out of every five individual surveyed accepted the benefits of assisted reproductive treatment and are of the opinion that procedures like IVF are safe and help in conceiving healthy babies.

The ‘Helping Families’ survey found that couples nowadays repose considerable faith in assisted reproductive technological advancements like IVF. When quizzed about their psychological makeup, respondents expressed tremendous stress and highlighted the need for immediate positive results.

‘Helping Families’ is a fertility survey endorsed by the Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction (ISAR), the Asia-Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE). The survey conducted among 2,562 participants and 100 infertility experts from nine Indian cities, including the southern cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi, and Hyderabad, revealed startling figures.

The decline in fertility started a decade back, with a troubling 17% decrease observed since 2000. Compounded by lack of acceptance and doctor checkups, the problem of infertility has raised multi-fold. Nearly 61% of the couples have been shown to derive information from sources like the Internet and friends. Even in the 21st century, 64% of the couples studied believed in god’s will and delayed treatment, the survey observed.

The consensus among fertility experts nationally is that there is lack of awareness among the public regarding infertility. In the quest for conception, the tendency of many couples is to believe and opt for alternative therapies and religious rituals. Thus, they fritter away crucial age and time. Women are still pressured in all aspects concerning fertility, increasing the stigma and trauma associated with this condition.

According to experts, 63% of couples seeking infertility treatment belonged to the age group of 31–40. Among the reasons, male factor infertility was observed among 41% males due to problems concerning sperm (oligospermia or poor sperm count). About 40% cases of female factor infertility was attributed to polycystic ovarian disorder (PCOD), followed by tubal factors (35%).