{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:18:14Z","timestamp":1760145494988,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,24]],"date-time":"2024-07-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1721779200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["EJIHPE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Rates of infertility are rising, and informed decision making is an essential part of reproductive life planning with the knowledge that ART success decreases dramatically while a woman\u2019s age increases and that high costs can often be incurred during fertility treatment. We aimed to determine the current knowledge of infertility and its treatments in the general public through an online survey. We received 360 complete responses. The average age of respondents was 35 years with most respondents being female (90%), heterosexual (88%), white (85%) and university educated (79%). Of the total, 49% had children and 23% had a condition that affects their fertility; 41% had concerns about future fertility and 78% knew someone who had had fertility treatment. Participants\u2019 understanding of basic reproductive biology and causes of infertility varied with correct responses to questions ranging from 44% to 93%. Understanding of IVF outcomes was poorer with only 32% to 55% of responses being correct, and 76% of respondents felt that their education in fertility was inadequate. This survey highlights the inconsistencies in the general public\u2019s understanding of infertility in this relatively educated population. With increasing demands on fertility services and limited public funds, better education is essential to ensure patients are fully informed with regard to their reproductive life planning.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ejihpe14080141","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,25]],"date-time":"2024-07-25T13:10:28Z","timestamp":1721913028000},"page":"2116-2125","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["What Do the General Public Know about Infertility and Its Treatment?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9408-3561","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lewis","family":"Nancarrow","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Health, Centre for Women\u2019s Health Research, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Member of Liverpool Health Partners, Liverpool L8 7SS, UK"},{"name":"Hewitt Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Liverpool Women\u2019s NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool L8 7SS, UK"},{"name":"Liverpool Women\u2019s NHS Foundation Trust, Member of Liverpool Health Partners, Liverpool L8 7SS, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anuthi","family":"Fernando","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Health, Centre for Women\u2019s Health Research, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Member of Liverpool Health Partners, Liverpool L8 7SS, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lucy","family":"Hampton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Health, Centre for Women\u2019s Health Research, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Member of Liverpool Health Partners, Liverpool L8 7SS, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Courtney","family":"Murray","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Health, Centre for Women\u2019s Health Research, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Member of Liverpool Health Partners, Liverpool L8 7SS, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0270-0150","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dharani K.","family":"Hapangama","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Health, Centre for Women\u2019s Health Research, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Member of Liverpool Health Partners, Liverpool L8 7SS, UK"},{"name":"Liverpool Women\u2019s NHS Foundation Trust, Member of Liverpool Health Partners, Liverpool L8 7SS, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3633-1592","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicola","family":"Tempest","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Health, Centre for Women\u2019s Health Research, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Member of Liverpool Health Partners, Liverpool L8 7SS, UK"},{"name":"Hewitt Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Liverpool Women\u2019s NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool L8 7SS, UK"},{"name":"Liverpool Women\u2019s NHS Foundation Trust, Member of Liverpool Health Partners, Liverpool L8 7SS, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1520","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2009.09.009","article-title":"International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technology (ICMART) and the World Health Organization (WHO) revised glossary of ART terminology, 2009","volume":"92","author":"Adamson","year":"2009","journal-title":"Fertil. 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