Adolescent sterility in an Indian population
Talwar, P.P.
Human Biology 37(3): 256-261
1965
ISSN/ISBN: 0018-7143 PMID: 5836188 DOI: 10.2307/41448732Document Number: 513135
An analysis has been made of the extent of adolescent sterility in 2713 parous women living in Bengal, India. The intervals between consummation/of marriage (which occurs either before or immediately at menarche) and 1st b irth are given for a series of cohorts of successive ages at consummation. Some degree of adolescent sterility extends up to age 19. The percentage of parous women non-fecund because of some degree of adolescent sterility diminishes from 98 to 9 and 0, as the age of women increases from 11 to 18 and 19 years. In communities where age at marriage is low, a rise in age at marriage will no t shorten reproductive span very much because it is already shortened by adolescent sterility in the early ages. Thus in communities with early marriages, a rise in age at marriage, which did not postpone it beyond the age of adolescent sterility, is of limited use as a method for reducing the overall birth rate.