Reproductive health seeking behaviour and its determinants in Indian women-a systematic review and meta-analysis

Reproductive health-seeking behaviour is critical to maternal health and overall well-being, yet many reproductive disorders remain underdiagnosed and contribute substantially to morbidity in India. Health-seeking for reproductive health conditions is often limited by symptom normalization, stigma, lack of awareness, and restricted access to female healthcare providers. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantify the prevalence of health-seeking behaviour for reproductive morbidities among Indian women and to summarise key factors influencing care utilisation.

The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024562508), and the review followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to January 29, 2026, for studies reporting reproductive health-seeking behaviour among women in India. Eligible studies addressed reproductive morbidities, including menstrual disorders, gynecological infections, pregnancy complications, menopause-related problems, infertility, structural abnormalities, including uterine prolapse, pelvic organ prolapse, vaginal prolapse, and chronic pelvic pain. Data were extracted, risk of bias was assessed, and quantitative findings were synthesized using a meta-analysis of proportions with the inverse-variance method. Heterogeneity was examined using Cochran's Q and the I² statistic.

The pooled prevalence of reproductive morbidities among women was 41.5% (95% CI: 31.2%-52.7%). Overall, 54.8% (95% CI: 46.0%-63.4%) sought treatment for at least one morbidity. Among care seekers, 31.4% used government facilities and 54.7% used private facilities. Allopathic medicine was the most common treatment modality (66%), followed by home remedies (27.9%), AYUSH therapies (12.7%), and over-the-counter medications (15.4%). While 47% perceived no need for treatment, the key barriers included symptom normalisation (60%), embarrassment (16.3%), lack of awareness (13.5%), financial constraints (12.3%), communication difficulties (27.3%), and distance to facilities (8.4%).

This SRMA highlights substantial gaps in health-seeking among Indian women with reproductive morbidities, with only about half seeking formal treatment. Education and socioeconomic status remain key determinants of health-seeking, while limited awareness and poor knowledge of reproductive health services continue to impede timely treatment.

PROSPERO CRD42024562508.