RESUMO
The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of various forms of in-law perpetuated reproductive control asserted on the female and any possible factor such as education level or early age of marriage which might be responsible for it as various studies have demonstrated that violence against women has been documented to be perpetuated not only by male partners but also by the family members of male partners. This multi-centric cross sectional observational study was carried out on 424 consecutive patients in 6 hospitals. The mean age [+ S.D] was 33.7+7.8 years and age of marriage [+S.D] was 21.3+2.8 years. 116[27.4%] were uneducated, 142[33.5%] had obtained education till primary level, 124[29.2%] had secondary education and 42[9.9%] had higher level of education. Upon asking about any life time in-law perpetuated reproductive control 205 [48.3%] of the females answered one or more than question as yes and 142 [33.5%] of the participating females said that the in-laws advised their husbands to go for a second marriage if they did not become pregnant. The more uneducated the participants of the study were, more abuse was faced at the hands of her in-laws [p-value <0.005]. The most common form of reproductive control asserted by the in-laws was telling the husband to go for a second marriage if the female did not become pregnant and this was most commonly seen in the less educated females [p-value <0.005].In conclusion increased efforts are needed to involve the in-laws in programs that seek to improve women's reproductive health