THE TIME IS NOW:

Assessing Fertility Knowledge In

Undergraduate Students

Rachel Okine, Grace Smith, Marissa Luck, M.D., Eve C. Feinberg,

M.D., Lia A. Bernardi, M.D., MSCI
 Background Fertility

Higher Education

Age
● The median age for mothers with master’s degree or
more: 30
● The median age for mothers with a highschool
diploma or less: 24
Brand et al. 2011, Livingston 2015, Nouri et al. 2014, Danis et al. 2017, Bernardi et al.
2020, Daniluk et al. 2015, Delbaere et al. 2020
What was our goal in conducting
this study?
 Objective

Evaluate
Assess
knowledge Gauge
personal
about interest
concerns
decline
Pre-Professional Track?
 Delay childbearing
Children in the
due to
Future?
education/career?
 Knowledge

⅓ of participants believe females are

as fertile in their 30s as their 40s ¼ of participants believe
female fertility does not
decline until 40 or later
 In Vitro Fertilization

● Mean age: 56
80% of
●21.5% reported age 48≥,
participants but correct success
overestimated age is 47rate
American Pregnancy Association 2021
Concerns
40% have anxiety about my
future fertility as a result of their
40% worry about their future career aspirations
fertility
 Interest

What would
be your
preferred
method for
learning
about
fertility?
 55%
66%
50%
ofofparticipants
participantsdid
thought
not realize
that females
STDs canwho
cause
never
infertility
get their
of participants did not realize weight could impact fertility
period can still get pregnant
Summary
Students plan to delay
Childbearing → Anxiety

Targeted fertility education

should be developed