An awareness of fertility and the factors affecting it is crucial to dealing with infertility, though little research has been conducted in the context of rural India. This study assessed Indian women’s perceived causes of, and strategies for coping with, infertility and the associations with levels of reproductive health knowledge in rural areas. Primary data were collected through mapping and listing in high infertility prevalence districts of West Bengal in 2014–15. A total of 159 women aged 20–49 years who had ever experienced infertility were interviewed. A Reproductive Health Knowledge Index (RHKI) was computed to indicate respondent’s level of reproductive health knowledge, and to show its association with perceived causes of infertility and coping with infertility. The highest mean RHKI score was observed among women in the lowest age group (RHKI=5.75, p<0.001), those with a higher level of education (RHKI=9.39, p<0.001) and those who had exposure to any media (RHKI=5.88, p<0.001). Women with a poor wealth index (RHKI=2.11, p<0.01) and those from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class communities (RHKI=4.20, p<0.05) had lower RHKI scores than richer women and those from General Caste communities. Women with a higher RHKI score were more likely to give biology (98.0%, p<0.001), old age (94.1%, p<0.01) and repeated abortions/accident/injury (92.2%, p<0.001) as reasons for infertility, whereas women with a low RHKI were more likely to give religious (73.2%, p<0.001) and old-age-related causes (75.0%, p<0.01) of infertility. Women with a high RHKI score were more likely to opt for modern allopathic treatments (RHKI=7.04, p<0.001), whereas those with a low RHKI score were more likely to seek treatment from religious and superstitious practitioners, use home remedies or receive no treatment at all (RHKI=1.66, p<0.001). Appropriate reproductive health knowledge is crucial if rural Indian women are to correctly assess their infertility problems and choose effective coping strategies.

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解决印度农村妇女的生殖健康知识、不孕症和应对策略

尽管在印度农村地区开展的研究很少，但对生育能力及其影响因素的认识对于处理不孕症至关重要。本研究评估了印度妇女对不孕症的认知原因和应对不孕症的策略，以及与农村地区生殖健康知识水平的关系。主要数据是通过在 2014-15 年在西孟加拉邦不孕症高发地区进行绘图和列出来收集的。共采访了 159 名 20-49 岁曾经历过不孕症的女性。计算了生殖健康知识指数（RHKI）以表明受访者的生殖健康知识水平，并显示其与不孕症的感知原因和应对不孕症的关联。p<0.001), 受教育程度较高者 (RHKI=9.39,p<0.001) 和接触过任何媒体的人 (RHKI=5.88,p<0.001)。财富指数较差的女性（RHKI=2.11，p<0.01) 以及来自在册种姓、在册部落和其他落后阶级社区的人 (RHKI=4.20,p<0.05) 的 RHKI 分数低于富裕女性和普通种姓社区的女性。RHKI 得分较高的女性更有可能进行生物学（98.0%，p<0.001), 老年 (94.1%,p<0.01) 和反复流产/意外/受伤 (92.2%,p<0.001）作为不孕的原因，而 RHKI 低的女性更有可能给予宗教信仰（73.2%，p<0.001) 和老年相关原因 (75.0%,p<0.01) 的不孕症。RHKI 评分高的女性更有可能选择现代对抗疗法（RHKI=7.04，p<0.001），而 RHKI 评分低的人更有可能向宗教和迷信从业者寻求治疗、使用家庭疗法或根本不接受治疗（RHKI=1.66，p<0.001)。如果印度农村妇女要正确评估她们的不育问题并选择有效的应对策略，适当的生殖健康知识至关重要。