Fertility and Obstetric Outcomes Among Procedural and Nonprocedural Physicians: A Call for Improved Fertility Education for Medical Students and Trainees.
5 affiliations
- 1From the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.
- 2Rush Medical College of Rush University, Chicago, IL.
- 3Biostatistics Core, Rush University, Chicago, IL.
- 4Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
- 5Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Cook County Hospitals and Health System, Chicago, IL.
Abstract
Background
Most physicians are in training during the time of known fertility decline, and trainees postpone parenthood for a variety of reasons. The aim of this study is to describe differences between the experiences of proceduralists versus nonproceduralists.Methods
An 11-item anonymous survey addressing experiences with pregnancy, fertility, and assisted reproductive technology (ART) was distributed to physicians (n = 2098) at 2 academic medical centers.Results
There was a 20% (n = 423) response rate. The median age was 31 years. Of the respondents, 293 (69%) were female. Two hundred seventy-six (66%) were trainees and 154 (36%) were proceduralists. Of 293, 137 (46.8%) female respondents reported having ever been pregnant. Of those, 55 (40%) reported pregnancy or obstetric complications. The overall birth rate was 2.57 (SD 0.95) live births per woman. Proceduralists had a lower number of live births (mean [SD], 2.3 [0.93] versus 2.7 [0.94]; P < 0.014). Of all respondents, 302 (72%) of 423 reported no prior education about fertility or ART. Proceduralists were significantly more likely to report never having received information on fertility and ART during residency (123 of 154 [80%] versus 179 of 269 [67%]; P = 0.007).Conclusions
We found a high prevalence of pregnancy and obstetric complications as well as pregnancy loss, with significantly fewer live births among proceduralists versus nonproceduralists. Medical school and residency curricula should include relevant fertility data and education to allow trainees to make informed decisions regarding family planning and fertility preservation.
Related
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BibTeX
@article{oneill2026fertility,
title = {{Fertility and Obstetric Outcomes Among Procedural and Nonprocedural Physicians: A Call for Improved Fertility Education for Medical Students and Trainees.}},
author = {Elizabeth S O'Neill and Aaron N Hendizadeh and Quyen M Diep and Wendy Chen and Christina Tragos and David Kurlander and Deana Shenaq},
journal = {Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1097/gox.0000000000008197},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903304},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fertility and Obstetric Outcomes Among Procedural and Nonprocedural Physicians: A Call for Improved Fertility Education for Medical Students and Trainees.
AU - Elizabeth S O'Neill
AU - Aaron N Hendizadeh
AU - Quyen M Diep
AU - Wendy Chen
AU - Christina Tragos
AU - David Kurlander
AU - Deana Shenaq
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open
DO - 10.1097/gox.0000000000008197
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903304
AB - Background Most physicians are in training during the time of known fertility decline, and trainees postpone parenthood for a variety of reasons. The aim of this study is to describe differences between the experiences of proceduralists versus nonproceduralists.Methods An 11-item anonymous survey addressing experiences with pregnancy, fertility, and assisted reproductive technology (ART) was distributed to physicians (n = 2098) at 2 academic medical centers.Results There was a 20% (n = 423) response rate. The median age was 31 years. Of the respondents, 293 (69%) were female. Two hundred seventy-six (66%) were trainees and 154 (36%) were proceduralists. Of 293, 137 (46.8%) female respondents reported having ever been pregnant. Of those, 55 (40%) reported pregnancy or obstetric complications. The overall birth rate was 2.57 (SD 0.95) live births per woman. Proceduralists had a lower number of live births (mean [SD], 2.3 [0.93] versus 2.7 [0.94]; P < 0.014). Of all respondents, 302 (72%) of 423 reported no prior education about fertility or ART. Proceduralists were significantly more likely to report never having received information on fertility and ART during residency (123 of 154 [80%] versus 179 of 269 [67%]; P = 0.007).Conclusions We found a high prevalence of pregnancy and obstetric complications as well as pregnancy loss, with significantly fewer live births among proceduralists versus nonproceduralists. Medical school and residency curricula should include relevant fertility data and education to allow trainees to make informed decisions regarding family planning and fertility preservation.
SN - 2169-7574
ER -