Fertility Awareness among Medical and Non- medical Undergraduate University Students in Al-Iraqia University, Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

Introduction: postponing child-bearing and its effect in declining fertility has been recognized recently as an important health, social and demographic concern in the world. Aim of the study: to determine the fertility awareness among undergraduate medical and non-medical students by their intention for parenthood, desired number, preferred age to have first and last child, to identify the major factors and their choices in case of infertility. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional survey study was conducted among medical and non-medical students at Al-Iraqia University, 150 students were the randomly selected sample size and data was collected using self-administrated questionnaire. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS version 15.0. Results: The study found that parenthood was higher among non-medical students than medical students. Medical students desired to have only one child in comparison to non-medical students desire to have 4 or more children. The preferred age to have first child was 25-29 years among medical students in contrast to 21-24 years for non-medical students. Majority of medical students preferred the age of 30-39 years for the last child compared to 40-44 years for non-medical students. Smoking and alcohol were the major factors affect fertility reported by medical students compared to caffeine and diet as major factors by non-medical students. IVF with high expected success rate was the choice in case of infertility among medical students more than non-medical one. Conclusion: The students of this study plan to have children within a women’s window of fertility, however, their overestimate about the female fertility period could lead to delayed child bearing, so, it is mandatory to increase the level of awareness about this important period of life.