Fertility-related knowledge and perceptions of fertility education among adolescents and emerging adults: a qualitative study

Abstract

Research shows that young people do not know much about their fertility. In the present study, we examined fertility knowledge and perceptions of a fertility educational brochure (i.e. ‘A Guide to Fertility’) in five focus groups with adolescents (16–18 years, n = 19) and emerging adults (21–24 years, n = 14) who were childless, not currently pregnant (or for men partner not pregnant) or trying to conceive but intending to have a child in the future. Participants (n = 33) reported having poor knowledge of a range of fertility topics and feelings of surprise, fear and concern in response to the brochure, despite perceiving benefits of the provision of fertility education and feasibility of ‘A Guide to Fertility’. Comparison between age groups showed that adolescents lacked confidence in their fertility knowledge and emerging adults more frequently referred to gender and family planning issues when considering the fertility information. The findings show the need and importance of ensuring fertility education is tailored to different age groups for it to be integrated at specific stages of the life course and optimize its benefits over costs. Results point to educators and researchers working together to determine how best to disseminate fertility information to relevant age groups.

Keywords:

• Fertility knowledge
• education
• qualitative
• adolescents
• emerging adults
• fertility awareness

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Emily Koert, Toni Harris, Kate Parker, Allysha Perryman and Lorna O’Shea for their helpful input in preparation of the study. We would also like to thank Maya Lane and Christianah Olagunju for helping with the focus groups in London.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.