Fertility

About: Fertility is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 29988 publications have been published within this topic receiving 681106 citations.

Prospective Study of Fertility Concerns and Preservation Strategies in Young Women With Breast Cancer

Abstract: Purpose Most research regarding fertility in young women with breast cancer has focused on long-term survivors. Little is known about how fertility concerns affect treatment decisions or fertility preservation strategies at the time of initial cancer diagnosis. Patients and Methods As part of an ongoing prospective multicenter cohort study, we surveyed women with newly diagnosed early-stage breast cancer at age ≤ 40 years. The baseline survey included sociodemographic, medical, and treatment data as well as a modified Fertility Issues Survey, including fertility concern and preservation items. Univariable and multivariable modeling were used to investigate predictors of greater fertility concern. Results Among the first 620 eligible respondents included in this analysis, median age was 37 years (range, 17 to 40 years); 425 women (68%) discussed fertility issues with their physicians before starting therapy, and 319 (51%) were concerned about becoming infertile after treatment. Because of concerns about fe...

Migration and Fertility: Competing Hypotheses Re-examined

Abstract: Competing views exist concerning the impact of geographical mobility on childbearing patterns. Early research shows that internal migrants largely exhibit fertility levels dominant in their childhood environment, while later studies find migrants’ fertility to resemble more closely that of natives at destination. Some authors attribute the latter to adaptation, others claim the selection of migrants by fertility preferences. Moreover, short-term fertility-lowering-effects of residential relocation have also been proposed and challenged in the literature. This paper contributes to the existing discussion by providing an analysis of the effect of internal migration on fertility of post-war Estonian female cohorts. We use retrospective event-history data and apply intensity regression for both single and simultaneous equations. Our analysis shows that first, the risk of birth for native residents decreases with increasing settlement size and the decrease is larger for higher-order parities. Second, it shows that migrants, whatever their origin, exhibit fertility levels similar to those of non-migrants at destination. We also observe elevated fertility levels after residential relocations arising from union formation. Our further analysis supports the adaptation hypothesis. We find no evidence on (strong) selectivity of migrants by fertility preferences.

Population, Food Intake, and Fertility

Abstract: Historical data provide support for the hypothesis that poor nutrition strenuous physical labor and substandard living conditions may account for the relatively small completed family size of the lower socioeconomic classes in Britain in 1850-60. The relatively late age at menarche (15.5-16.5 years) and late attainment of adult height suggests that some submaximal fecundity in combination with a late age at marriage may have also contributed to the small completed fertility of the upper classes. Married couples of this historical period produced only 6-7 children during a time when contraceptive devices were expensive and ineffective. Nutrition hard work and disease can affect fertility because reproduction requires energy and is synchronized with physical development. The undernourished female has later menarche and earlier menopause and a higher frequency of anovulatory menstrual cycles. In the adult male severe undernutrition results in loss of libido a decrease in sperm count a decrease in prostate fluid a loss of sperm mobility and even the cessation of sperm production. Historical reports indicate that about 25% of female mill workers suffered from retarded or suppressed menses and absolute sterility occurred in about 15% of marriages. Children who worked in factories had extremely slow physical growth and hence later sexual maturation. Undernutrition not the widespread use of traditional methods of contraception may also be the explanation of the completed family size of 6-7 children found in many developing countries today.