Health seeking behavior of couples with secondary infertility.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the factors affecting the health-seeking behavior of couples with secondary infertility in Karachi.


METHODS
A descriptive case series.


METHODS
The data was collected from women attending infertility clinics in five tertiary care hospitals in Karachi from March to June 2003.


METHODS
All currently married women, between the age of 15-35 years, with at least one previous conception, irrespective of outcome, attending an infertility clinic and consenting to participate in the study, were included. Women with corrective surgery on vagina and uterus, and cases of primary infertility, were excluded. Multiple logistic regression models were used to determine the association of various factors, affecting the health-seeking behavior, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05 for the covariates and the interaction terms between various factors.


RESULTS
The women consulted multiple health care providers for treatment of secondary infertility. The main reasons for seeking treatment were couple s wish (54.2%), family pressure (22.6%) and want of a son by husbands or in-laws (20.4%). The most commonly sought providers were physicians (74.7%), Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA, 39.5%), Spiritual healers (26%), Hakeems (23%) and Homeopaths (17.2%). Most of the women who consulted non-physicians were illiterate (69.4%) as compared to those who consulted a physician (37.8%, p-value = 0.00). The non-physicians were more commonly consulted by women belonging to low socioeconomic group. The posttreatment complications were more common among women who consulted non-physicians.


CONCLUSIONS
Pressure from husbands and in-laws compels women for consulting multiple providers. Health seeking behavior for infertility is affected by the literacy and socioeconomic status of the women.
Sami
Neelofar
N
Department of Community Health Sciences, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. neelofar.sami@aku.edu
Ali
Tazeen Saeed
TS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003906:Developing Countries; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010154:Pakistan; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D011336:Probability; D012099:Reproductive Techniques; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors