Despite surpassing China as the world’s most populous country, India is witnessing a striking plunge in its fertility rate. As lifestyle diseases mount and a shift towards later marriages emerges due to socio-economic changes, the South Asian giant grapples with a declining fertility trend1.
A Striking Fertility Fall While Infertility Rises
Official statistics have documented a 20% decline in India’s general fertility rate over the past decade1. Modern lifestyle factors have wielded a significant influence on this descent. Furthermore, infertility is burgeoning as a pressing issue, with approximately 30 million locals grappling with its repercussions, as indicated by healthcare firm Nova’s research1.
Unravelling the Lifestyle Links to Waning Fertility Rate
Obesity, stress, smoking, and pollution have surfaced as the significant lifestyle contributors behind the decreasing fertility rates, states Dr. Sulbha Arora, Clinical Director of Nova IVF Fertility1. She expresses concern over the apparent failure in reversing these trends primarily due to prevalent lifestyle dynamics1.
Simultaneously, late marriages and delaying childbirth have become increasingly common as a larger fraction of Indian women join the workforce in comparison to previous generations1.
Fertility Issues: The Under-addressed Concern
Despite the fertility issues India faces, they do not garner significant attention partly because of the country’s booming population, which this year surpassed a staggering 1.4 billion1. The United Nations anticipates the figure to escalate beyond 1.6 billion by 2050 before taking a downward turn1.
This eventual population decline will throw a plethora of health and economic challenges due to the shrinking working-age population, pushing India towards becoming an aging society1.
Strategies to Bolster Birth Rate
To revive the declining birth rate, increasing accessibility to fertility treatments could be one viable approach, say experts1. Dr. Sabine Kapasi, global strategy lead of the UN’s emergency response team, suggests crafting insurance systems that make fertility treatments more accessible and economically feasible1.
However, despite the call for more accessible fertility treatments like In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) (starting at US$1,200 in India), cultural barriers present a significant challenge1. In a society that stresses natural fertility, there prevails a pronounced social stigma and numerous misconceptions associated with IVF treatments1. Sadly, such societal pressures have compelled several couples to keep their IVF-conceived child a secret, often even from close family members1.
To conclude, India’s downward spiralling fertility rate, amidst escalating lifestyle diseases and infertility concerns, holds profound implications that warrant timely intervention. Thorough understanding, adoption of strategic solutions, and cultural shift towards accepting fertility treatments can chart the path forward in addressing this multi-pronged issue.