The current fertility rate is globally decreasing day by day. Fertility is god’s gift to the human being to conceive a baby. It’s a quite natural capacity but nowadays fertility became an issue for most couples. For the past 5 to 10 years you may have heard the word fertility numerous times. The common query among many individuals is what the term fertility means and why it is declining. Fertility is the capacity to produce offspring through reproduction after sexual maturity. It is just a reproduction mechanism taking place in the body. Fertility tends to be correlated with the level of economic and educational development.
DECLINING FERTILITY RATES:
The most noted issue for the current trend is the decline in fertility rates. On the other hand, we see there is an increase in the global population day by day but the reality is, there is a steady decline in fertility rates globally. Fertility tends to be lower in developed countries due to education, urbanization, etc whereas fertility rates in developing countries are high due to lower rates of female education, employment, etc. You may wonder on noticing the decline in the fertility rate in India. Though we may stand as the 2nd largest populated country in the globe the fertility rate declines by almost 0.9% per year.
At the time of Independence India’s fertility rate was six per woman and it took 25 years for the government to cut it down from 6 to 5 through a family planning program. The current fertility rate in India is just 2 per woman as of now. The general fertility rate has declined by about 20% over the past decade. Fertility is not concerned with women only, men are also facing fertility problems in recent times. Men’s sperm parameters are also decreasing for the past two decades.
WHAT IS TOTAL FERTITLITY RATE(TFR):
TFR is the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime. It has declined from 2.2 in 2015-16 to almost 2.0 in 2019-21, according to NFHS-5(National Family Health Survey). All the communities are witnessing a decline in fertility. There may be lots of influencing factors for declining in current fertility rates such as
- Income
- Educational status of women
- Religion
- Place where they live(rural or urban)etc
TIME TO WAKE UP:
Despite the various sexual, psychological, economical, and physical implications, infertility prevention and care remain a neglected public health issue, especially in developing countries that are already under population pressure. Recently, there is an increased awareness to integrate infertility prevention and treatment into basic health services. Every adult must need to know about reproductive health well. Besides many social factors, stress also plays a vital role in the current fertility rate decline in recent times. Keep your body and mind healthy and have a contented family tree.
