{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,30]],"date-time":"2026-10-30T15:46:25Z","timestamp":1793375185915,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,3]],"date-time":"2024-07-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1719964800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100004423","name":"World Health Organization","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2020\/1026382-0"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2020\/1026382-0"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100004423","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Experiences of delayed conception and infertility have been reported among women. However, the concept of intersectionality is rarely utilised in studies of infertility, and it is particularly uncommon in research from low- and middle- income countries.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Research question<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>What are the lived experiences of women with delayed conception in low to -middle income neighbourhoods of Delhi, India?<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This was a qualitative study (n = 35) that recruited women who had failed to conceive after 18 months of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Data were collected between February and July 2021. Data were collected through focus group discussions in low income to middle income neighbourhoods of Delhi, India. Analysis identified themes related to intersecting axes of inequality.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The results showed that gender intersected with economics, masculinity, patriarchal norms and class to influence the experiences of women. The intersection of gender, economics and patriarchal norms compromised women\u2019s agency to be active generators of family income, and this dynamic was exacerbated by patrilocal residence. In addition, masculinity contributed to stigmatisation and blaming of women, due to the inaccurate perception that men did not contribute to a couple\u2019s infertility. The intersection of gender and social class in medical settings created barriers to women\u2019s access to medical information.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec005\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Findings from this study provide representative examples of the variety of axes of inequality that shape women\u2019s experiences in the study setting. Although these findings may not be generalisable to all women who are experiencing delayed conception, they highlight a need for improved awareness and education on infertility, as well as a need to ensure the availability and accessibility of fertility care for couples in need.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0304029","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,3]],"date-time":"2024-07-03T17:24:26Z","timestamp":1720027466000},"page":"e0304029","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Intersectional analysis of the experiences of women who fail to conceive in low and middle income neighbourhoods of Delhi, India: Findings from a qualitative study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Priyanka","family":"Adhikary","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gitau","family":"Mburu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rita","family":"Kabra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ndema Abu","family":"Habib","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"James","family":"Kiarie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Neeta","family":"Dhabhai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ranadip","family":"Chowdhury","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4200-6112","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sarmila","family":"Mazumder","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0304029.ref001","volume-title":"Infertility prevalence estimates, 1990\u20132021","year":"2023"},{"key":"pone.0304029.ref002","unstructured":"World Health Organization. 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