THE total fertility rate in J&K among women has slipped below the replacement-level by 0.6 percent as per the National Family Health Survey. The report published in KO recently highlighted the survey report and had many wondering about the reasons behind this decline.
As per the National Family Health Survey data for 2019-21, the fertility rate in J&K has slipped down to 1.4 percent in the 2019-20 NFHS-5 survey from 2.0 percent in the NFHS-4 2015-16.
Many factors are responsible for this decline. While physiological reasons play a huge role in your biological functioning, psycho-social issues do not have to be ignored either.
Sure, people here have a tendency to only focus on the issue of women’s infertility but there’s a lot more at play than just the women. We must realise that fertility is a concern for men as well as women. One cannot merely say that “late marriages” have led to this. We cannot underplay some aspects and overplay others.
There’s a dire need to educate women as well as men about their reproductive health. Why else are we seeing a whooping 80% of C-sections in the valley. Do we only have a 20% chance at normal deliveries?
Doctors here need to play honest and educate women and men about their bodies. This must be done from the very beginning. We must also realise that social factors that may have pushed some men and women towards infertility should also be addressed with a holistic point of view.
Shaheen Mir
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