Srinagar- With fertility rates witnessing a steady decline in Jammu and Kashmir, health experts say the current generation is facing a worrying rise in infertility, and conditions like PCOS and PCOD among women are emerging as significant contributors.

Doctors say that besides biological reasons, a major share of the problem is rooted in social and lifestyle changes - delayed marriages, unhealthy diets, lack of physical activity, growing obesity and poor knowledge about contraception.

According to news agency KNO, Dr Rakshanda Akhter, a gynaecologist at DHSK, said multiple social factors are pushing couples, particularly women, into a high-risk infertility zone.

“The most common cause is late marriage. When age advances, the fertility potential naturally declines. We are now seeing women getting married mostly in their late 20s or early 30s - a stage where the ovarian reserve has already declined,” she said.

She added that poverty, unemployment, the obsession with government jobs, extravagant wedding culture, and pressure for dowry continue to delay marriages, making late marriage a“socially manufactured trend”.

According to her, the peak fertility window in females is between 18 to 25 years- but in today's scenario, most women enter marriage well after this phase.

Dr Akhter said that PCOS/PCOD is one of the most common causes of infertility in women.

She explained:“In PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), the ovaries do not release eggs regularly (anovulation or irregular ovulation), hormones become imbalanced (especially excess androgen/testosterone), follicles in the ovaries do not mature properly, and because ovulation is irregular or absent, pregnancy becomes difficult; that is why PCOS is a leading cause of infertility.”

The gynaecologist said PCOS is now one of the commonest hormonal disorders in reproductive-age women here. She said obesity, sedentary lifestyle, junk food, stress and diabetes are all contributing to it. PCOS is directly linked to infertility.

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