Actions to increase knowledge about age-related fertility decline in women

There is a strong body of published data corroborating the current lack of awareness of age-related fertility decline (ARFD), but few studies have evaluated specific interventions aimed at increasing ARFD knowledge. Here, we review the literature examining the instruments developed and the educational interventions performed to date.

We carried out a narrative review based on a literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Scopus between January 2010 and December 2017.

The instruments available comprise websites, paper brochures, slide presentations and tailored information, mainly developed with the input of university students. The eight interventions reviewed include surveys before and/or after a specific intervention, with and without a control group, in randomised and non-randomised designs. Overall, the interventions were effective in increasing ARFD knowledge and lowering the desired age for childbearing in the short term. These results were not always maintained, however, in the long term, possibly due to a lack of perceived risk of future infertility among those studied.

Further interventions need to be targeted to both young people and health care providers, and should be as personalised as possible. A greater number of validated instruments are also needed to reliably measure the effectiveness of any intervention.