Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Mar;39(3):655-661.
doi: 10.1007/s10815-022-02425-z. Epub 2022 Feb 7.

Fertility awareness and attitudes among resident physicians across different specialties

Shelun Tsai  1 , Tracy Truong  2 , Jennifer L Eaton  3
Affiliations

Fertility awareness and attitudes among resident physicians across different specialties

Shelun Tsai et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate knowledge of age-related fertility decline and oocyte cryopreservation among resident physicians in obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) compared to residents in other specialties.

Methods: An online survey was sent to the US residency program directors for ob-gyn, internal medicine, emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, pediatrics, and psychiatry. They were asked to forward the survey to their respective residents. The survey consisted of three sections: fertility knowledge, oocyte cryopreservation knowledge, and attitudes toward family building and fertility preservation. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to compare outcomes between ob-gyn and non-ob-gyn residents.

Results: Of the 2,828 completed surveys, 450 (15.9%) were by ob-gyn residents and 2,378 (84.1%) were by residents in other specialties. 66.3% of respondents were female. The median number of correct answers was 2 out of 5 on the fertility knowledge section and 1 out of 3 on the oocyte cryopreservation knowledge section among both ob-gyn and non-ob-gyn residents. After adjusting for covariates, residents in ob-gyn were no more likely to answer these questions correctly than residents in other specialties (fertility knowledge, adjusted OR .97, 95% CI .88-1.08; oocyte cryopreservation knowledge, adjusted OR 1.05, 95% CI .92-1.19). Ob-gyn residents were significantly more likely than non-ob-gyn residents to feel "somewhat supported" or "very supported" by their program to pursue family building goals (83.5% vs. 75.8%, OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.23-2.14).

Conclusions: Resident physicians, regardless of specialty, have limited knowledge of natural fertility decline and the opportunity to cryopreserve oocytes. These data suggest need for improved fertility education.

Keywords: Family building; Fertility awareness; Oocyte cryopreservation; Resident physician.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Fertility knowledge among residents in ob-gyn compared with residents in other specialties. b Oocyte cryopreservation knowledge among residents in ob-gyn compared with residents in other specialties
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Hodes-Wertz B, Druckenmiller S, Smith M, Noyes N. What do reproductive-age women who undergo oocyte cryopreservation think about the process as a means to preserve fertility? Fertil Steril. 2013;100(5):1343–1349.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.07.201. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hassold T, Chiu D. Maternal age-specific rates of numerical chromosome abnormalities with special reference to trisomy. Hum Genet. 1985;70(1):11–17. doi: 10.1007/BF00389450. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gosden RG. Maternal age: a major factor affecting the prospects and outcome of pregnancy. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1985;442:45–57. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1985.tb37504.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cobo A, Kuwayama M, Perez S, Ruiz A, Pellicer A, Remohi J. Comparison of concomitant outcome achieved with fresh and cryopreserved donor oocytes vitrified by the Cryotop method. Fertil Steril. 2008;89(6):1657–1664. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.05.050. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cobo A, Meseguer M, Remohí J, Pellicer A. Use of cryo-banked oocytes in an ovum donation programme: a prospective, randomized, controlled, clinical trial. Hum Reprod. 2010;25(9):2239–2246. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deq146. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources