Fertility awareness education improves fertility cycle knowledge and may reduce time-to-pregnancy in subfertile women

Abstract

Research suggests that low fertility awareness (FA) may be a contributing factor to infertility. The aim of this study was to determine whether education improves knowledge in FA and to explore the associations between FA knowledge and time to pregnancy (TTP). A 20-point self-administered FA questionnaire (FAQ) was completed by 180 subfertile women on their first visit to a hospital-based fertility assessment and research clinic, followed by an education session on FA. Women completed the same FAQ after receiving the education session. There was an increase in the FAQ score after the women received FA education (post-education FAQ score: mean, M = 15.68, SD = 1.8) compared with the score before the session [(pre-education FAQ score: M = 13.87, SD = 1.9), t(179)=–10.547, p < 0.001]. Pregnancy was achieved in 88 women (49%). Women with a higher post-education FAQ score (≥15 points) had a shorter TTP (M = 6.4 months, SD = 4.1) than women with post-education FAQ scores <15 [M = 8.8 months, SD = 6.0, t(86)=2.231, p = 0.028]. Greater time trying to conceive was negatively predictive of the hazard for achieving a pregnancy (b=–0.021, se = 0.008, p = 0.005), while age had no significant effect. FA knowledge in women attending a fertility clinic significantly improved after education. Higher FA may reduce TTP in subfertile women who are actively trying to conceive naturally.

Keywords:

• Fertility awareness
• fertility education
• fertility knowledge
• subfertility
• fertility clinic

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the work of the midwives involved in this study (Teresa Baker, Sandra Grey, Frances Nilsson, Christine Riley, Linda Tettamanzi, and Monica Vane) and doctors (Alison Bignell and Terrence Kent).

Disclosure of interest

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