Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open
Fertility and Obstetric Outcomes Among Procedural and Nonprocedural Physicians: A Call for Improved Fertility Education for Medical Students and Trainees
By O'Neill ES, Hendizadeh AN, Diep QM and 4 others.
Abstract
Background
Most physicians are in training during the time of known fertility decline, and trainees postpone parenthood for a variety of reasons. The aim of this study is to describe differences between the experiences of proceduralists versus nonproceduralists.
Methods
An 11-item anonymous survey addressing experiences with pregnancy, fertility, and assisted reproductive technology (ART) was distributed to physicians (n = 2098) at 2 academic medical centers.
Results
There was a 20% (n = 423) response rate. The median age was 31 years. Of the respondents, 293 (69%) were female. Two hundred seventy-six (66%) were trainees and 154 (36%) were proceduralists. Of 293, 137 (46.8%) female respondents reported having ever been pregnant. Of those, 55 (40%) reported pregnancy or obstetric complications. The overall birth rate was 2.57 (SD 0.95) live births per woman. Proceduralists had a lower number of live births (mean [SD], 2.3 [0.93] versus 2.7 [0.94]; P < 0.014). Of all respondents, 302 (72%) of 423 reported no prior education about fertility or ART. Proceduralists were significantly more likely to report never having received information on fertility and ART during residency (123 of 154 [80%] versus 179 of 269 [67%]; P = 0.007).