Increasing Awareness of Age-related Fertility and Elective Fertility Preservation Among Medical Students and House Staff: a Pre- and Post-intervention Analysis

Objective: To assess medical students' and house staff's knowledge and personal and professional perceptions of age-related fertility and fertility preservation before and after an educational intervention.

Design: Pre-/post intervention survey.

Setting: University-based medical center.

Patient(s): Medical students and house staff.

Intervention(s): An educational session on age-related fertility decline and elective fertility preservation.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Knowledge scores and perceptions assessed immediately before and after the intervention.

Result(s): Sixty-five surveys were administered. Of the 53 respondents, 71.7% were married or in a committed relationship; 89.4% reported that they were delaying childbearing, with career and/or education being the most frequently listed reason (85.7%); 39.5% indicated that they had both personal and professional interest in fertility preservation but identified finances (62.5%) and time (59.4%) as barriers; 86.9% indicated previous exposure, with formal education (80.0%) and social media (40.0%) being the most common sources. Mean scores on a six-question knowledge-based assessment improved significantly following the presentation (54.6 ± 19.0% vs. 78.1 ± 16.0%), as did the number of participants who indicated that they might now recommend elective oocyte cryopreservation to others (71.1% vs. 54.3%). After the intervention, 97.8% thought that it was important for medical professionals to be informed about age-related fertility decline and elective oocyte cryopreservation.

Conclusion(s): Despite professional and personal interest, knowledge of age-related fertility decline and elective fertility preservation is limited among medical students and house staff. This study highlights the need for formal education across all levels of training and specialties, with even brief interventions being of potential benefit.