Women’s Perception on Subfertility Service in Hong Kong

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice among women in Hong Kong on subfertility service and treatment.
Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, a local regional hospital in Hong Kong. Women aged from 20 to 50 years attending gynaecological clinic and subfertility clinic from June 2013 to October 2013 were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire.
Results: During the study period, 503 questionnaires collected at the gynaecology outpatient clinic and subfertility clinic were considered valid for analysis. Overall, 113 (22.5%) women had sought advice from subfertility service before while 36 (7%) had undergone subfertility treatment before. Nearly half of the women did not know that fertility was affected by age. Although two-thirds of the participants were aware that the success rate of subfertility treatment dropped with advancing female age, two-thirds of them thought that assisted reproductive technology such as invitro fertilisation could overcome the effect of ageing.
Conclusion: This study showed that women in Hong Kong were not aware of the significance and prevalence of subfertility, the subfertility service available, and the importance of the effect of age on fertility and the success rate of assisted reproduction. Early and comprehensive counselling on complications and success rate of subfertility treatments is necessary, so as to allow an informed choice when couples decide to postpone their parenthood.