Infertility In Indian Women

One in every four Indian women develops uterine fibroids, which represents some 25 million women, and this is the single most common cause of infertility in this population. The benign, non-cancerous tumors grow inside, outside or within the lining of the uterus.

The results of one research study suggests that an even larger number of women may be affected by the condition than is known and that developing fibroids is, in large measure, dependent upon diet, obesity, and high blood pressure. Another finding of the researchers, who studied 2,142 women with infertility due to uterine fibroids, is that a woman’s chances for developing fibroids increase if a first degree female relative also has the condition.

Study author Prakash Trivedi worked on this study for 16 years and commented that his team found a strong correlation between infertility, fibroids exceeding a size of 5 cm, and three years of trying to conceive without success. Trivedi, the scientific director of Mumbai’s National Institute of Laser and Endoscopic Surgery and Aakar IVF Center, has been hard at work perfecting a technique for removing fibroids that stems from a novel way of viewing the fibroid as a parasite to the blood supply. The technique involves dissection and endosuturing procedures.

Elective Cesarean

The researcher team discovered that laparoscopic removal of uterine fibroids increased the pregnancy rate by as much as 42% while cutting the miscarriage rate to 5%. However, the scientists found that these pregnancies necessitated elective cesarean delivery in each case.

Researchers also discovered that for each 10 kg. of excess weight, the rate for developing fibroids increased by 18%.

Among the complications that were suffered by the participants in the trial were a higher rate of miscarriage, early delivery, and elective cesarean surgery. Infertility was seen in 45% of the women and miscarriage in 38%.

Late Marriages

“The study has clearly shown fibroids are one of the major causes of infertility among women in India. We found that it is on the rise and there are many reasons for it, including late marriages that result in late pregnancies,” said Trivedi who was given an award for this work by the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology Society of India. The organization has 22,000 member physicians. Dr. Trivedi says that his surgical technique for removal of the fibroids is easy to perform and ensures the least amount of blood loss to speed recovery time.