According to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), changing lifestyles among women in particular, such as smoking and erratic work routines are the route cause of infertility. It seems around 6% – 8% of Indian couples currently suffer from infertility problems.

Abha Majumdar, director of the centre of Invitro human fertilisation (IVF) and human reproduction at Sir Ganga Ram hospital told reporters in Dehli: “Women have switched to a faster lifestyle now. The stress is affecting their menstrual cycle and hormonal make-up, leading to infertility.”

She added: “Late marriages, mainly after 30 years of age, are another reason for infertility.”

This seems to confirm what others scientists and medical professionals have said in other parts of the world, notably in the US.

However in India the inability to reproduce also affects people socially. There is a stigma about not being able to have children, which is something not generally the case in the West.

Speaking at the third anniversary of the IVF unit at AIIMS, Suneeta Mittal, who heads the Institute’s obstetrics and gynaecology department said: “Infertility is not considered as a life-threatening disease.

“But the attention needs to be on it as there has been a lot of development and innovation on this front. Social impact of childlessness is more in India. In western countries, the concept of IVF is widely used.”

The stigma of not being able to conceive also causes other problems for Indians. Many will even go to lengths of getting treated by unqualified people, particularly if they cannot afford proper IVF treatment.

Abha Majumda said: “Couples have deep misconceptions related to infertility. So they seek solutions from quacks. The point is that when we have advanced, dedicated IVF units in our country, why not popularise them.”