HEALTH CARE SEEKING AND INFERTILITY-A CROSS SECTIONAL COMPARATIVE STUDY AMONGST FEMALES OF DYAL VILLAGE LAHORE

Background: Female infertility ends up in long term health implications especially in Pakistan where combined family system and social set-up pressurizes the newly married couple for child bearing.  But proper diagnosis and effective management is only possible through health care seeking. Objective: To assess the actual magnitude of different types of infertility and its associated health care seeking amongst females of Dyal Village Lahore. Methodology: This cross sectional comparative study was conducted in rural female population of Dyal Village Lahore. The sample size was118 and data collection was done through Simple Random Sampling. Data was gathered using Personal Self-Concept Questionnaire containing information related to socio demographic, economic, female medical, family , gynecological and Health Care seeking history. Results: Out of 118 only 42 (35.59%) had Primary infertility. only 24.58% had Menorrhagia, 40.68% had Oligomenorrhea and 22.88% experienced Dysmenorrhea. Only 7% reported male factor. Majority females had ovulatory problems 38.3 % and 11.8 % with tubal blockage 9.7 % reported uterine problems. Only 68(57.63%) visited hospitals, 67 (56.78%) seeked medical treatment and 48(40.68) had both medical and surgical interventions. Surprisingly 29(24.58%) had received Instrumentation and medication by Dai and 10 (8.47) had medication following relatives advice. Study has also shown a significant relation with higher educational and economical status. Conclusion: The higher Primary infertility levels and trends of seeking health care services other than professional experts especially from Dai is alarming. Future research study can be focused for determining the predictors of such health care services for infertility. Key Words:  Infertility, Primary Infertility, Secondary infertility and Health Care Seeking,