‘Late marriages, obesity, lifestyle shift, lack of contraception awareness adding to crisis’
Srinagar: With fertility rates witnessing a steady decline in Jammu and Kashmir, health experts say the current generation is facing a worrying rise in infertility, and conditions like PCOS and PCOD among women are emerging as significant contributors.
Doctors say that besides biological reasons, a major share of the problem is rooted in social and lifestyle changes — delayed marriages, unhealthy diets, lack of physical activity, growing obesity and poor knowledge about contraception.
Speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Dr Rakshanda Akhter, a gynaecologist at DHSK, said multiple social factors are pushing couples, particularly women, into a high-risk infertility zone.
“The most common cause is late marriage. When age advances, the fertility potential naturally declines. We are now seeing women getting married mostly in their late 20s or early 30s — a stage where the ovarian reserve has already declined,” she said.
She added that poverty, unemployment, the obsession with government jobs, extravagant wedding culture, and pressure for dowry continue to delay marriages, making late marriage a “socially manufactured trend”.
According to her, the peak fertility window in females is between 18 to 25 years— but in today’s scenario, most women enter marriage well after this phase.
Dr Akhter said that PCOS/PCOD is one of the most common causes of infertility in women.
She explained: “In PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), the ovaries do not release eggs regularly (anovulation or irregular ovulation), hormones become imbalanced (especially excess androgen/testosterone), follicles in the ovaries do not mature properly, and because ovulation is irregular or absent, pregnancy becomes difficult; that is why PCOS is a leading cause of infertility.”
The gynaecologist said PCOS is now one of the commonest hormonal disorders in reproductive-age women here. She said obesity, sedentary lifestyle, junk food, stress and diabetes are all contributing to it. PCOS is directly linked to infertility.
Dr Rakshanda stressed the need for societal-level intervention, which includes early marriage, healthy food habits and weight control as key preventive measures.
Another gynaecologist, Dr Masarat Jan, told KNO that pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) – largely caused by sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia and gonorrhoea – is another leading cause.
She said unsafe abortions and procedures performed at unregistered places by untrained persons are adding to complications. “Septic abortions cause severe genital tract infections and often lead to permanent infertility. Unfortunately, such cases are rising,” she said. “The lack of awareness about contraception and improper use of emergency contraceptives are creating avoidable reproductive health issues.”
Doctors said today’s youth are facing a completely changed lifestyle — sitting for long hours, no physical exercise, fast food dependency, stress and prolonged job waiting period — all of which are collectively shrinking reproductive health.
Timely marriage, lifestyle modification, regular exercise and proper knowledge of reproductive health must be promoted, they added.
The most common reasons behind PCOS/PCOD include insulin resistance, hormonal imbalance, obesity/overweight, genetic predisposition, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, stress and lack of sleep, the doctors said.
According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5 / 2019-21), J&K has the lowest fertility rate in India. The region’s fertility rate has further dropped by 0.6 per cent compared to the previous survey period (2015-16). If the trends persist, the region may face serious demographic challenges in the coming decades, they added—(KNO)
