More than 40 per cent of urban Indian women are unaware of common reproductive and sexual health issues: Uvi Health

The study says over 60 per cent of women are unaware of hyperthyroidism and less than 30 per cent know of other SRH conditions such as endometriosis and vaginismus

Uvi Health, a health-tech platform for women, recently conducted a survey investigating the awareness and prevalence of various Sexual & Reproductive Health (SRH) conditions in India. The study, conducted across females in the age group 17-50 in urban cities, found a lack of education and awareness among women regarding SRH conditions.

Mehak Malik, Co-founder, Uvi Health said, “Women form the backbone of our society, yet their health is given most attention only during pregnancy and childbirth. However, every woman might experience some form of sexual and reproductive health concern in their life. This could manifest as PCOS, UTI, endometriosis, or sexual and pelvic health complications. The social stigma attached to accessing SRH services and the limited access to non-judgemental care prevents women from receiving timely care and attention.”

The survey revealed that over 40 per cent of urban Indian women were unaware of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which affects roughly 10 per cent of the global population. The awareness could be much lower among rural women. The study says over 60 per cent of women are unaware of hyperthyroidism and less than 30 per cent know of other SRH conditions such as endometriosis and vaginismus. However, awareness about breast cancer and HIV/AIDS was relatively higher at about 75 per cent.

PCOS emerged as the most common sexual and reproductive health condition experienced by the respondents. However, less than 15 per cent of the respondents aware of the condition had a formal diagnosis. The actual rate could be much higher as many women go undiagnosed due to the absence of a single diagnostic criterion. The most common prevalence statistic (1 in 5) comes from the Metropolis, a pathology chain that conducted an 18-month pan India study in 2016 to measure testosterone levels among women. However, given the complex nature of the syndrome and the varying symptoms observed among different women, this may at best indicate a risk of PCOS over the actual incidence of PCOS.

Despite its prevalence, very little is known about how women are diagnosed, their symptoms, and treatment options. The gold standard for diagnosing PCOS is the Rotterdam Criteria which requires a patient to present two of three signs (irregular periods, excess androgens, or polycystic ovaries). Only 17 per cent of respondents stated that their clinicians investigated all three conditions before diagnosing. 32 per cent of respondents were diagnosed based on only two of three conditions, 49 per cent were diagnosed based on only one condition.