Table 3.
Ob-gyn’s experience, approach, and knowledge towards counseling patients on elective fertility preservation
| Questions | Number (percentage) |
|---|---|
| For patients of reproductive age who delay childbearing due to social reasons (lack of partner, career goals, etc.), a conversation should take place with her ob-gyn regarding the availability of fertility preservation (egg and/or embryo freezing) (737) | |
| Strongly disagree | 12 (1.6) |
| Somewhat disagree | 44 (6.0) |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 130 (17.6) |
| Somewhat agree | 276 (37.5) |
| Strongly agree | 275 (37.3) |
| Have patients asked about fertility preservation? (740) | |
| No (skip question) | 310 (41.9) |
| Yes | 430 (58.1) |
| Approximately how often have you been asked about fertility preservation (egg and/or embryo freezing), in the past 3 years? (431) | |
| Weekly | 17 (4.0) |
| Monthly | 82 (19.0) |
| Quarterly | 143 (33.2) |
| Semi-annually | 113 (26.2) |
| Yearly | 76 (17.6) |
| Is there a specific age at which you typically begin to bring up fertility preservation (egg and/or embryo freezing)? (739) | |
| No | 485 (65.6) |
| Yes | 205 (27.8) |
| N/A I do not bring up fertility preservation with patients | 49 (6.6) |
| Those that responded yes (185) | 34.2 ± 2.8 years old * Bottom 10th% range—26–30 years old Top 10th % range—38–40 years old |
| In your practice, what are the barriers to counseling patients on fertility preservation (egg and/or embryo freezing)? | |
| Limited time (725) | |
| Not a barrier | 182 (25.1) |
| Minor barrier | 298 (41.1) |
| Major barrier | 245 (33.8) |
| Limited knowledge (721) | |
| Not a barrier | 289 (40.1) |
| Minor barrier | 312 (43.3) |
| Major barrier | 120 (16.6) |
| Limited training (717) | |
| Not a barrier | 278 (38.8) |
| Minor barrier | 330 (46.0) |
| Major barrier | 109 (15.2) |
| It contradicts with my personal beliefs (722) | |
| Not a barrier | 683 (94.6) |
| Minor barrier | 25 (3.5) |
| Major barrier | 14 (1.9) |
| Discomfort bringing it up with patients (721) | |
| Not a barrier | 631 (87.5) |
| Minor barrier | 76 (10.6) |
| Major barrier | 14 (1.9) |
| New and experimental nature of oocyte cryopreservation (721) | |
| Not a barrier | 373 (51.7) |
| Minor barrier | 240 (33.3) |
| Major barrier | 108 (15.0) |
| Other please specify (97) ____________ | |
| Is oocyte cryopreservation considered experimental according to the American Society for reproductive medicine? (735) | |
| No ** | 351 (47.8) |
| Yes | 56 (7.6) |
| Unsure | 328 (44.6) |
Data are given as number of responses with percentages in parenthesis. Number entered in parenthesis following question corresponds to number of responses obtained for each question
*Mean ± standard deviation
**Denotes correct answer based on published literature