The fertility myth: Israeli students' knowledge regarding age-related fertility decline and late pregnancies in an era of assisted reproduction technology

Abstract

As in many advanced societies, the age at first birth and the rate of post-menopausal pregnancies in Israel are constantly increasing. Since Israeli university students are the most likely population to postpone parenthood, this study aims at evaluating their awareness of: (i) women's age-related fertility decline; (ii) age-dependent success rates of IVF technology and (iii) medical procedures allowing late and post-menopausal pregnancies. Israeli undergraduate students (n= 410), attending four academic institutions and studying in different fields, completed a structured questionnaire in the 2009/2010 academic year. Students overestimated women's chances of spontaneous pregnancy in all age groups, whereas women's chances of achieving a live birth following IVF treatment were overestimated only for ages 40 years and above. Regarding both spontaneous and IVF pregnancies, success rates of very late pregnancies (beyond 45 years and after menopause) were greatly overestimated. Only 11% of the students knew that genetic motherhood is unlikely to be achieved from the mid-40s onward, unless using oocytes frozen in advance. The findings demonstrate entrenched fertility myths among Israeli students, particularly the false belief in the possibility of late (beyond 35 years) and very late genetic motherhood. This can be explained by technological 'hype' and favorable media coverage of very late pregnancies. Since this may culminate in involuntary childlessness, it is highly important to increase the awareness of the Israeli public on the subject of fertility. However, as our sample is not representative of the Israeli student population, our findings should be tested in future studies.