Delayed childbearing is currently a major challenge in reproductive medicine as increased age has an important impact on successful conception, both in natural and in assisted reproduction. There is a lack of knowledge about the impact of age on fertility, even in highly educated populations. A number of initiatives have been taken to increase fertility awareness. Health care providers have been encouraged to talk with patients about their reproductive life plan (RLP) for almost a decade based on recommendations from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. This concept has been explored successfully in Swedish contraception counselling. A growing number of online interventions aim to raise fertility awareness. These websites or interactive tools provide relevant information for individuals and couples as they consider whether they want children, when they should have them, and how many they may wish to have. These interventions are important, because research depicts that knowledge helps people in their decision-making process. With new fertility preservations such as egg freezing now available, additional education is needed to be sure that women and couples are well informed about the cost and low success rates of this intervention.
PMID 31964217 31964217 DOI 10.1080/03009734.2019.1707913 10.1080/03009734.2019.1707913
Cite this article
Delbaere, I., Verbiest, S., & Tydén, T. (2020). Knowledge about the impact of age on fertility: a brief review. Upsala journal of medical sciences, 125(2), 167-174. https://doi.org/10.1080/03009734.2019.1707913
Delbaere I, Verbiest S, Tydén T. Knowledge about the impact of age on fertility: a brief review. Ups J Med Sci. 2020;125(2):167-174. doi:10.1080/03009734.2019.1707913
Delbaere, Ilse, et al. "Knowledge about the impact of age on fertility: a brief review." Upsala journal of medical sciences, vol. 125, no. 2, 2020, pp. 167-174.
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"CycleProGo™ users with NFP training were more persistent and diligent about daily data input than those without training."
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To assess patient experiences using a Shared Decision-Making (SDM) Tool for fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) of family planning. The study employed a prospective crossover design to evaluate impact of the SDM tool compared to usual practice when discussing FABMs with patients. Patients completed preand post-office visit surveys and an online survey six months later. The primary outcomes evaluated the effect of the SDM tool on patient satisfaction and FABM continuity of use rates. There was no significant difference in likelihood of changing family planning methods immediately after the office visit; however, by six months a significantly larger proportion of patients had started or changed FABMs in the experimental group (52%, 34/66) compared to the control group (36%, 24/66) (p = 0.04). Significantly more patients who used the tool and changed their FABM after their visit reported increased satisfaction with their FABM compared to control (50% vs. 17%, p = 0.022). Use of the SDM tool increased persistent use of and satisfaction with chosen FABMs at six months. The novel SDM tool can enhance patients' understanding and facilitate the selection of a more suitable method leading to increased satisfaction.
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