Unrealistic Beliefs about Fertility

Female college undergraduates were found to be aware that fertility declines with age. However, they inaccurately reported higher and unrealistically optimistic chances of pregnancy for older women. These same university students also believed that the chances of miscarriage were higher for women of all ages, but did not attribute a woman's age as a causal factor for pregnancy loss. Although there have been efforts to educate the public in the past, it is obvious that additional and more precise instruction would improve the public's comprehension, and might help reduce the rate of age related infertility, as well as pregnancy loss.