IMR Press / CEOG / Volume 50 / Issue 3 / DOI: 10.31083/j.ceog5003054
Open Access Original Research
Infertility Prevalence and Associated Factors among Women in Seoul, South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study
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1 Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul Medical Center, 02053 Seoul, Republic of Korea
2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, 10380 Goyang, Republic of Korea
3 Department of Emergency Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, 05278 Seoul, Republic of Korea
4 Granduate School of Urban Public Health, University of Seoul, 02504 Seoul, Republic of Korea
*Correspondence: hanjungyeol055@gmail.com (Jung Yeol Han)
Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol. 2023, 50(3), 54; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.ceog5003054
Submitted: 15 December 2022 | Revised: 10 January 2023 | Accepted: 11 January 2023 | Published: 10 March 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infertility)
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Background: Infertility is not only a health problem that affects individuals but also a social problem that affects families, societies, and populations. Recently, although infertility rates have been increasing in Korea, there are few studies on this. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of infertility among Korean women attempting to conceive and factors associated with this. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from May to November 2019. Participants accessed the website of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, gave their consent to the study, and then answered the questionnaire. A total of 2274 women preparing for pregnancy were recruited and their data were analyzed. Results: Among the 2274 women, 443 (19.48%) were infertile. Of these infertile women, 320 (72.2%) had primary infertility and 123 (27.8%) had secondary infertility. The average period of primary infertility was 1.7 ± 1.1 years, whereas the period of secondary infertility was 2.2 ± 1.5 years. The average age of non-infertile and infertile women was 31.9 ± 3.2 years and 33.2 ± 3.8 years, respectively, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). Univariate analysis revealed various risk factors for infertility (educational level, social drinking, insomnia, bulimia, artificial abortion, and spontaneous abortion) that were statistically significant. Employment, anorexia, depression, and irregular menstruation showed a marginal significance. However, in the multivariate logistic regression analysis, age 35 years, body mass index 23, and a history of artificial abortion were significant risk factors for infertility. Conclusions: This study identified the prevalence of infertility in Seoul and the associated factors of women’s infertility. Further research is necessary to identify clinical and male-specific variables related to infertility. These studies are expected to be of great help to prevent infertility and increase the birth rate.

Keywords
infertility
prevalence
associated factors
Korean women
Funding
Seoul Metropolitan Government
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