Assessing knowledge regarding fertility and attitude and intentions towards future parenthood among undergraduate medical students in Karachi

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the knowledge regarding female fertility, infertility treatments and the attitudes regarding parenthood of medical students in Pakistan. Delayed childbirth among medical trainees due to extended years of medical education and training puts this population at a higher risk for involuntary childlessness later in life due to age-related decline in female fertility. A knowledge, attitude and practice study was carried out among medical students in Karachi in July 2021 using the English version of the Swedish Fertility Awareness questionnaire, which has been used in similar studies. Most participants wished to have children at some point in the future. However, a majority of students did not have sufficient knowledge regarding age-related decline in female fertility and overestimated the efficacy of infertility treatments. The results of this study indicate that despite planning to have children and placing great importance on parenthood, medical students severely overestimate female fertility and plan to start having children at an age at which female fecundity has begun to decline. These findings highlight a need for better provisions regarding fertility knowledge in the curriculum for medical students, as they are an at-risk group for involuntary childlessness due to age-related fertility decline.

Keywords:

• Fertility awareness
• parenthood
• medical students
• age-related fertility decline
• infertility
• childbearing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).