New research suggests women of child-bearing age often known very little about reproductive health.
The study found about 50 percent of reproductive-age women in the U.S. have never had a conversation about their reproductive health with their physician, 30 percent visit their reproductive health provider less than once a year, or have never paid them a visit, a Yale University news release reported.
The findings are based on an online survey that looked at 1,000 women between the ages of 18 and 40 that were members of all ethnic groups.
The questions on the survey addressed "knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding conception, pregnancy, and basic reproductive health-related concepts," the news release reported.
"This study, on one hand, brings to the forefront gaps in women's knowledge about their reproductive health, and on the other, highlights women's concerns that are often not discussed with health providers," senior author Jessica Illuzzi, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine, said in the news release. "It is important that these conversations happen in this ever-changing family landscape."
Through the survey the team found that 40 percent of reproductive-age women were concerned about their fertility. About half of the women were unaware that multivitamins containing folic acid are recommended for women of child bearing age.
About 25 percent of the participants did not realize the fertility risks associated with "sexually transmitted infections, obesity, smoking, or irregular menses" and one-fifth were unaware of the effect of aging on fertility.
Half of the survey participants believed having sex multiple times per day would increase the chance of pregnancy and one-third believed certain sex positions would increase the odds. Only about 10 percent of the women knew that having intercourse before ovulation increased the chance of pregnancy.
"We found that 40% of women in the survey believed that their ovaries continue to produce new eggs during reproductive years. This misperception is of particular concern, especially so in a society where women are increasingly delaying pregnancy," co-author Lubna Pal, associate professor in the section of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Yale, said in the news release.
