Canadian university students’ perceptions of future personal infertility

Abstract

Objective: University is a time for self-discovery, development of independence and transition to adulthood. It is not well examined whether childless university students also consider the potential of future personal infertility. The objective of this study was to document expectations and perceptions related to personal infertility in a sample of young adults. Methods: Using a qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with 39 male and female university students in Ottawa, Canada. Interview topics included contemplation of personal infertility, anticipated gendered experience of infertility and cultural perceptions of infertility. Results: The possibility of future infertility was not contemplated by most participants (74%). Although students generally expected infertility to be an emotional experience, women especially anticipated that infertility would be associated with negative gender identity and reduced self-esteem. Ethnic-minority participants from pro-natalist countries perceived infertility to be stigmatized by their communities, particularly against women. Conclusions: This sample of childless young adults anticipated many gendered and cultural dimensions of the experience of infertility, suggesting that these perceptions are shaped well in advance of contemplation of family planning.

Perceptions of Infertility in Turkish Nursing Students

“…In this study, 5 students expressed concerns about their inability to have children because of medical problems (such as menstrual irregularities or PCOS); this was also the case with students in a Canadian study. 27 However, a large majority of students in the present study stated that they started thinking about these issues after their course. Aysel …”

“…40 In the focus group discussions, students recognized the huge emotional impact of this subject. In a previous study with a similar sample, 27 the authors suggested that not being able to have biological children may cause negative emotional reactions in participants.…”

“…In previous studies of university students, females in particular expect to have 2-3 children in the future. 27,28,33,35 During the focus group discussions, students described having a child as the meaning or purpose of life, and suggested that parental instincts are strong. They mentioned the importance of cultural upbringing, and considered having a child as necessary to their life goals.…”

“…The majority of students expressed the desire to have children in the future, and their thoughts and feelings about having a child seemed to be shaped by culture. [24][25][26][27] In their study on graduatelevel nursing students' opinions about infertility, Tasci and Ozkan found that students' gender, the number of children they want, and their familiarity with infertile couples affected their opinions. 28 However, there have been no in-depth studies of factors affecting the perceptions of infertility in nursing students with a basic knowledge of infertility.…”

Knowledge and perception of medical students about infertility

“…Időszerű és releváns lenne tehát felmérni a meddőség érzelmi és testi következményei-ről alkotott elképzeléseket szakemberek, illetve jövőbeli szakemberek körében, mivel ez mindeddig csak laikusok körében valósult meg [11,18]. A testi tünetek ész-lelésének pontossága ugyanis elengedhetetlen a kezelés eredményességének szempontjából, az érzelmi terhek megértését pedig igénylik a páciensek [10].…”