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.