Prevalence of infertility in Tabriz in 2004.
BACKGROUND
Our aim was to determine the prevalence of primary and secondary infertility in Tabriz population and to compare the marriage age between infertile and fertile groups. We also evaluated the rate of seeking help for treatment of infertility among the patients.


METHODS
In a survey, we evaluated the prevalence of infertility in Tabriz in 2004 using cluster random sampling. Tabriz was divided into 360 zones and from each zone, 10 couples were selected. Six interviewers filled out the questionnaires by direct reference to interviewees' homes. Overall, 3600 couples were evaluated for infertility.


RESULTS
Of 3600 couples, 3183 were married for more than a year and answered the questions appropriately. Prevalence of infertility was 3.27% (2.04% as primary and 1.23% as secondary infertility). Among couples whose wives were in their reproductive age (15 to 49 years), the overall prevalence of infertility was 3.35% (2.05% as primary and 1.30% as secondary). Mean age of women at marriage was significantly higher in couples with primary infertility (20.87 +/- 5.4 versus 18.75 +/- 4.04; P < .001). Treatment seeking was 79.6% and 67.6% among patients with primary and secondary infertility, respectively. In general, 75% of the patients had referred to medical centers.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of primary infertility was almost the same as other Asian countries, but the prevalence of secondary infertility was lower than other countries. A higher marriage age was accompanied with a significant decrease in fertility of the couple. Primary infertile patients had referred to medical center slightly more often than secondary infertile patients.
Ahmadi Asr Badr
Yadollah
Y
Department of Urology, Sina Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. ahmadiy@tbzmed.ac.ir
Madaen
Kazem
K
Haj Ebrahimi
Sakineh
S
Ehsan Nejad
Amir Hassan
AH
Koushavar
Hossein
H