Practical Difficulties in Estimating The Prevalence of Primary Infertility in Iran (original) (raw)

Background According to the World Health Organization (WHO)'s clinical, epidemiological and demographic defi- nitions, infertility is an inability to become pregnant within one, two or five years of exposure to pregnancy, respec- tively. Inconsistent infertility-related definitions and various methodological approaches make it difficult to compare quantitative data in this regard and consequently, have negatively influenced estimating the prevalence of infertility. The present study reviewed the results of a large population-based survey on how the clinical, epidemiological and de- mographic definitions of infertility produce different results in terms of infertility prevalence in Iran and subsequently, compared the findings in order to find the right time of treatment-seeking by couples. Materials and Methods This community-based, cross-sectional study was carried out by Avicenna Research Insti- tute in the urban and rural parts of Iran between 2010 and 2011. Using cluster samp...