Elsevier

Fertility and Sterility

Volume 99, Issue 2, February 2013, Pages 502-507
Fertility and Sterility

Original article
Knowledge about factors that influence fertility among Australians of reproductive age: a population-based survey

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2012.10.031Get rights and content

Objective

To explore knowledge about the effects on fertility of age, obesity, smoking, and timing of intercourse among Australians of reproductive age.

Design

Telephone survey of a representative sample of Australians.

Setting

Not applicable.

Patient(s)

Australians aged 18 to 45 years who wish to have a child or another child now or in the future.

Intervention(s)

None.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Knowledge about the effect on fertility of age, obesity, smoking, and timing of intercourse.

Result(s)

A total of 462 interviews were conducted. The majority of respondents underestimated, by about 10 years, the age at which male and female fertility starts to decline. Only one in four correctly identified that female fertility starts to decline before age 35, and one in three identified that male fertility starts to decline before age 45. Most (59%) were aware that female obesity and smoking affect fertility, but fewer recognized that male obesity (30%) and smoking (36%) also influence fertility. Almost 40% of respondents had inadequate knowledge of when in the menstrual cycle a woman is most likely to conceive.

Conclusion(s)

Considerable knowledge gaps about modifiable factors that affect fertility were identified. These are targeted in a national education campaign to promote awareness of factors that influence fertility.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

The study was approved by the Research and Ethics Committee of the State Government of Victoria's Department of Human Services.

Results

A total of 18,910 telephone calls were attempted. The proportion that could not be reached (answering machine, engaged, no answer, incoming call restrictions, disconnected number, or not a residential number); where the respondent was not eligible; or where the respondent had insufficient English language to complete the interview was 68.9%, 15.6%, and 2.1%, respectively. Of the 2,535 eligible respondents, 2,073 refused to participate, and 462 (18.2%) completed the interview. The three most

Discussion

This study of a representative sample of Australians of reproductive age identified considerable knowledge gaps about potentially modifiable factors that influence fertility. The results add to existing evidence about lack of fertility awareness among university students 2, 4, 48, subfertile and pregnant women (24), childless women (23), and reproductive-aged women (22). Public education targeting these knowledge gaps could potentially reduce the risk of involuntary childlessness and people

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      Comparing the educational attainment in the present sample with other data suggests that the present data captured the educational structure of German non-migrants rather well (OECD, 2019). On the other hand, in an international comparison, the majority population respondents were not more knowledgeable than those in other countries [Garcia et al. (2018) and Hammarberg et al. (2013) for a sample of the general population in Australia; Vassard et al. (2016) for Denmark and the UK). Here, the issue of comparability may play a role.

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    K.H. has nothing to disclose. T.S. has nothing to disclose. R.J.N. has received payment for lectures from Merck Serono. C.A.H. has received reimbursement from VARTA for participating in Your Fertility and payment from Pfizer for development of educational presentations. J.M. has nothing to disclose. L.J. has received funding for travel and administrative support from her employer, the Victorian Department of Health, payment from universities for development of educational presentations, and is a member of the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia.

    Supported by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, Population Health Programs Branch, Family Planning Grants Program.

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