Reproductive Morbidity and its Treatment Seeking among Adolescent Girls from a Nationwide Survey, India

Abstract

Background: India constitutes 242 million adolescents and 116 million
are girls. Considering the quantum of this demographic, an adequate
literature exists on menstrual health and hygiene for adolescent girls,
but studies on reproductive morbidities are very limited. The present
study aims to examine the prevalence of reproductive morbidities,
its treatment-seeking behavior, and its associated factors among
adolescent girls.
Methods: Primary data was collected from 16 major states of India,
using cross-sectional survey design. In total, data collected from 6,715
adolescent girls.
Results: Overall, the prevalence of reproductive morbidities was 39%
among surveyed adolescent girls. A higher proportion of girls reported
severe abdominal pain (24%), followed by itching (16%) and bad odor
(12%), all along with discharge. Regression analysis suggests that girls
experiencing irregular menstruation, from late adolescent age, having
experience of menstrual disorder, girls from urban areas and from higher
wealth quintile were more likely to report reproductive morbidities.
Only about one-third of girls reported seeking treatment. The odds of
treatment seeking suggest that those who previously sought treatment
for menstrual disorder and girls from urban areas were more likely to
seek treatment. Private clinics/doctors (12%), and medical shops (10%),
followed by public health personnel/facilities (only 6%) of the girls
were the preferred source of treatment for reproductive morbidities.
Conclusion: The findings of the study highlight the urgent need for an
enabling environment for early identification and access to treatment
services for reproductive morbidities. A trained and adequate number
of peer educators may accelerate health education and generate
demand for healthcare services.

How to cite this article:
Chokhandre P K, Vatavati S R, Pundappanavar
B I, Hallad J S. Reproductive morbidity and its
treatment seeking among Adolescent Girls from a
nationwide survey, India. Ind J Youth Adol Health.
2024;11(4):1-9.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2349.2880.202408