Most Australians Unaware That Women’s Fertility Declines In Early 30s

Most Australians underestimate when fertility in both men and women starts to decline, a national survey has found.

AsianScientist (Apr. 29, 2013) – Eighty percent of Australians could not identify the age range when women’s fertility starts to decline, the first comprehensive Australian survey into fertility knowledge has found.

The survey was conducted to inform a new national campaign, Your Fertility, which aims to empower those who want children, or want more children, to make lifestyle choices that will help them conceive and have healthy babies.

In the survey, only 20 percent of Australians could correctly identify that the fertility of women starts to decline when they are in their early 30s.

Only nine percent of Australians knew that men’s fertility starts to decline post-45; one third of Australians mistakenly believe that men’s fertility declines after 50.

The survey found that 30 percent of men and 36 percent of women wrongly believe a women’s fertility begins to decline at age 35-39, while nearly 20 percent of both men and women thought women’s fertility begins to slide off at age 40-44.

As well as a person’s age, being over or underweight, smoking, and heavy alcohol consumption can reduce a person’s fertility and put a baby’s health at risk, says the campaign.

“Both men’s and women’s fertility starts to decline earlier than most Australians think it does. As most people want to have children or want more children, fertility knowledge is incredibly important,” said Fertility Coalition spokesperson Louise Johnson.

“There’s a reasonable level of awareness that smoking, weight and heavy drinking affect fertility but Australians also need more specific knowledge about these factors,” she said.

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Source: University of Adelaide; Photo: hmarum (ex sugu)/Flickr/CC.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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