Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026
Collection of Human Follicular Fluid, Follicle Somatic Cells, and Immature Oocytes from Individuals Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization
Published on: October 24, 2025
Fertility and aging: do reproductive-aged Canadian women know what they need to know?
Karla L Bretherick1, Nichole Fairbrother, Luana Avila
1Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1L3, Canada. kbretherick@bcgsc.ca
Objective:
Female fertility declines with age; however, women are increasingly delaying childbearing until later in their reproductive years. One of the factors that may contribute to this trend is a general lack of knowledge about the decline in fertility with age.
Design:
Self-report survey. Questions pertained to participant demographics and childbearing intentions, and knowledge of the decline in fertility and increased risk of pregnancy loss with age.
Setting:
The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Patients:
Female undergraduate students (N = 360).
Intervention(S):
None.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Knowledge of fertility over the life span, predictors of age of intended childbearing.
Result(S):
Although most women were aware that fertility declines with age, they significantly overestimated the chance of pregnancy at all ages and were not conscious of the steep rate of fertility decline. Surprisingly, women overestimated the chance of pregnancy loss at all ages, but did not generally identify a woman's age as the strongest risk factor for miscarriage.
Conclusion(S):
Education regarding the rate at which reproductive capacity declines with age is necessary to avoid unintended childlessness among female academics and professionals.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:28Menopause
02:07Oogenesis
01:22Oogenesis
Each primary oocyte is surrounded by a layer of pre-granulosa cells, forming what is known...
01:28Infertility in Females
Endometriosis, a condition characterized by abnormal growth of endometrial...
01:41Spermatogenesis
01:29Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...