Family Planning, Fertility, and Medical School: A Survey of Students’ Plans and Perceptions of Institutional Support

BACKGROUND: Deciding when to pursue parenthood can be difficult for medical trainees and infertility is more common in the physician population. However, few studies have examined the views of very early career trainees. The goal of this study was to assess premedical and medical student plans for family building, knowledge of fertility, and thoughts on assisted reproductive technology, as well as institutional support for parenthood in medical school and fertility curriculum. METHODS: Web-based cross-sectional survey on Qualtrics distributed through social media and school organization-based networks. Responses were reported as frequency and percent and compared across subgroups of population with χ(2) tests. RESULTS: The study had a total of 605 premedical and medical students respondents. Most students (78%) do not have children but plan to have children in the future. Almost two-thirds (63%) of students would consider using assisted reproductive technology. More than 80% of respondents have considered or would consider oocyte cryopreservation for themselves or their partners. A majority (95%) of students are worried about balancing parenthood and a career in medicine and about their fertility declining while they complete medical training (84%). The most frequently cited barriers to family planning during medical school and residency were: limited time off during training (84%), demands of training (82%), cost of having a child (59%), and stigma of having a child during training (45%). Less than half of medical students had formal education on infertility. CONCLUSIONS: Premedical and medical students are worried about fertility declining in training and about balancing parenthood and medical careers, but gaps in knowledge and institutional support exist.