Trends in fertility patterns of women in rural Zimbabwe

To study changes over time in reproductive health and living conditions of women in a rural setting in Zimbabwe, 12 villages were selected at random in the Gutu district, Masvingo province. During two study periods in 1992 and 1993, 1,213 women of fertile age (15-44 years) were interviewed and examined. Median age at menarche was 15 years, with a decrease of 0.4 years from the oldest to the youngest age group. There has been no increase in the mean height of women, indicating no change in determinants of nutritional status of girls in childhood and adolescence. Younger women still marry at a median age of 19 years but prefer smaller families. Level of education is the main determinant for age at marriage and preferred family size. A low prevalence of primary (1%) as well as secondary infertility (4%) was found in spite of the currently reported high prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases in Zimbabwe.