Table 3:
Barriers and fears associated with family building
| Characteristic | n(%) a |
|---|---|
| What barriers do you perceive to having children during medical school or residency training? b | |
| Cost of having a child | 343 (59.2) |
| Limited time off during training | 485 (83.8) |
| Demands of training | 475 (82.0) |
| Stigma of having a child during training | 260 (44.9) |
| Lack of family or social support | 130 (22.5) |
| Not partnered or waiting for right partner | 130 (22.5) |
| Other | 43 (7.4) |
| None of the above | 2 (0.4) |
| Which of the following are barriers to pursuing egg freezing for yourself or your partner? b | |
| Don’t know enough about the process | 274 (47.3) |
| Cost | 441 (76.2) |
| Time | 209 (36.1) |
| Don’t feel it is necessary | 140 (24.2) |
| Social stigma | 40 (6.9) |
| Cultural beliefs about ART | 27 (4.7) |
| Religious beliefs about ART | 43 (7.4) |
| Other | 55 (9.5) |
| None of the above | 18 (3.1) |
| Which of the following factors would increase the likelihood of pursuing egg freezing for yourself or your partner? b | |
| Insurance coverage | 466 (80.5) |
| If I decided to complete longer training | 274 (47.3) |
| If there were policies from my medical school or residency program supporting time off for appointments and treatments | 346 (59.8) |
| If I had more education about egg freezing | 291 (50.3) |
| If I knew someone else who had been through the process of egg freezing | 231 (39.9) |
| If my doctor talked with me about egg freezing | 255 (44.0) |
| Other | 12 (2.1) |
| None of the above | 63 (10.9) |
| Characteristic | Total n(%) a | Premedical student; n(%) a | Medical student; n(%) a | Other; n(%) a , c | p value d |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I am worried about my fertility declining while I am in training. | 0.91 | ||||
| Strongly agree | 263 (50.4) | 74 (51.4) | 174 (49.3) | 15 (60) | |
| Somewhat agree | 173 (33.1) | 45 (31.3) | 120 (34.0) | 8 (32.0) | |
| Neutral | 24 (4.6) | 9 (6.3) | 14 (4.0) | 1 (4.0) | |
| Somewhat disagree | 24 (4.6) | 6 (4.2) | 18 (5.1) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Strongly disagree | 27 (5.2) | 8 (5.6) | 18 (5.1) | 1 (4.0) | |
| Not applicable | 11 (2.1) | 2 (1.4) | 9 (2.6) | 0 (0.0) | |
| If my partner or I were to become pregnant during my time in medical school, we would have good support from my school (for flexible time off, resources, etc). | < 0.001 | ||||
| Strongly agree | 20 (3.8) | 2 (1.4) | 18 (5.1) | 0 (0) | |
| Somewhat agree | 96 (18.4) | 16 (11.1) | 76 (21.5) | 4 (16.0) | |
| Neutral | 119 (22.8) | 21 (14.6) | 95 (26.9) | 3 (12.0) | |
| Somewhat disagree | 130 (24.9) | 32 (22.2) | 91 (25.8) | 7 (28.0) | |
| Strongly disagree | 84 (16.1) | 14 (9.7) | 62 (17.6) | 8 (32.0) | |
| Not applicable | 73 (14.0) | 59 (41.0) | 11 (3.1) | 3 (12.0) | |
| I feel that a career in medicine impacts childbearing decisions | 0.17 | ||||
| Strongly agree | 391 (74.9) | 95 (66.0) | 274 (77.6) | 22 (88.0) | |
| Somewhat agree | 115 (22.0) | 42 (29.2) | 70 (19.8) | 3 (12.0) | |
| Neutral | 4 (0.77) | 1 (0.7) | 3 (0.9) | 0 (0) | |
| Somewhat disagree | 7 (1.3) | 4 (2.8) | 3 (0.9) | 0 (0) | |
| Strongly disagree | 4 (0.8) | 1 (0.7) | 3 (0.9) | 0 (0) | |
| Not applicable | 1 (0.2) | 1 (0.7) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| If I chose a career other than medicine, I would have been more likely to have children earlier in life. | 0.12 | ||||
| Strongly agree | 220 (42.2) | 60 (41.7) | 145 (41.1) | 15 (60.0) | |
| Somewhat agree | 202 (38.7) | 46 (31.9) | 149 (42.2) | 7 (28.0) | |
| Neutral | 45 (8.6) | 15 (10.4) | 29 (7.9) | 2 (8.0) | |
| Somewhat disagree | 31 (5.9) | 11 (7.6) | 19 (5.4) | 1 (4.0) | |
| Strongly disagree | 23 (4.4) | 11 (7.6) | 12 (3.4) | 0 (0) | |
| Not applicable | 1 (0.2) | 1 (0.7) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| I am worried about balancing parenthood and my career in medicine in the future. | 0.30 | ||||
| Strongly agree | 366 (70.0) | 105 (72.9) | 242 (68.4) | 19 (76.0) | |
| Somewhat agree | 127 (24.3) | 29 (20.1) | 94 (26.6) | 4 (16) | |
| Neutral | 9 (1.7) | 3 (2.1) | 6 (1.7) | 0 (0) | |
| Somewhat disagree | 16 (3.1) | 4 (2.8) | 11 (3.1) | 1 (4.0) | |
| Strongly disagree | 5 (1.0) | 3 (2.1) | 1 (0.3) | 1 (4.0) | |
| Not applicable | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
a
Total numbers may vary due to item non-response or missing.
b
Participants were allowed to select more than 1 option.
c
Other: currently pursuing another concurrent degree (ie, MPH, PhD, MBA etc) or currently taking time off for other reasons.
d
p values < 0.05 were considered significant and represent comparisons across subgroups of students.