Paper short abstract:

Perception of reproductive illness by the women themselves is important in understanding the women's reproductive health in a particular society. It also indicates the possibility of taking perception as a tool for measuring reproductive illness.

Paper long abstract:

Perception of reproductive illness by the women themselves is important in understanding the women's reproductive health in a particular society. It also indicates the possibility of taking perception as a tool for measuring reproductive illness. Though women do not have a "germ theory" to explain their reproductive illness they have a sense of illness pathology. Reproductive illness perceived by women is related to physical symptoms and situations in a network of meanings and different meanings are socially generated to articulate their experiences.

An illness is the meaning that women give to health and refers to a person's perception and experiences of certain socially disvalued status. The meaning of health needs to be recognised for achieving an analytical understanding of the process of production of health as a basis for any realistic and comprehensive effort to improve health condition in the community. Thus, it underscores the need to incorporate women's perception of their illness to design a culturally sensitive health programme. This paper is an endeavour to bring into light how women in Manipur perceive "women's illness" such as vaginal discharge, menstrual problem etc., their perceptions of the seriousness of different women's illnesses.

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