ArticleReproductive health2026
Trends in self-reported reproductive tract infections and treatment-seeking behaviour among Indian women, 2005-2021.
Article in Reproductive health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) are a major source of reproductive morbidity among women in India, but evidence on long-term trends in prevalence and care-seeking behaviour remains limited. This study examines trends in self-reported RTI symptoms and associated care-seeking patterns among Indian women aged 15–49 years from 2005 to 2021, using data from three rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3, 2005–06; NFHS-4, 2015–16; NFHS-5, 2019–21). The analysis is based on a pooled sample of 265,497 eligible women. National RTI prevalence remained stable at approximately 11% in 2005–06 and 2015–16, with a modest rise to 12.3% in 2019–21. However, there was substantial variation across states. High-burden states such as Madhya Pradesh and Assam saw declines, while several low- and medium-burden states (e.g., Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh) experienced notable increases. Only about 40% of women with RTI symptoms sought treatment. Public sector treatment increased from 11.5% in 2005–06 to 19.0% in 2019–21, while private sector reliance declined overall despite some fluctuations. Adjusted odds of reporting RTI symptoms increased over time (AOR 1.29; 95% CI 1.25–1.33 in 2015–16 and AOR 1.52; 95% CI 1.48–1.57 in 2019–21, relative to 2005–06). The likelihood of seeking care from public health facilities increased substantially (AOR 1.47; 95% CI 1.33–1.62 in 2015–16 and AOR 1.88; 95% CI 1.70–2.08 in 2019–21), whereas the likelihood of private-sector use declined in 2015–16 (AOR 0.77; 95% CI 0.72–0.84) but showed no statistically significant difference from baseline in 2019–21 (AOR 0.97; 95% CI 0.90–1.05). Sociodemographic factors, including wealth, education, region, and access barriers, significantly influenced both symptom reporting and treatment-seeking behaviour. Despite modest national changes, treatment-seeking remains low, and persistent state-level disparities highlight the need for context-specific and equitable reproductive health interventions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.