Uninformed Decision Making and Regret About the Delay in Childbearing Decision Among Japanese Women and Men Seeking Fertility Treatment: A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract Background: In Japan, mean maternal and paternal ages at first birth have steadily increased over the past two decades, and more and more women and men seek fertility treatment. The aim of this study was to examine regret over the timing of the childbearing decision and reasons for its delay.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 219 women and 169 men referred to fertility facilities in Japan from July to December 2018. Participants completed a questionnaire on the reasons for their delay in childbearing decision and the degree of regret regarding their decision. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the association between degree of regret and the reasons for the delay.Results: The top three reasons for the delay in childbearing decision in women were “Establishing the relationship,” “Health problems,” and “Financial security.” The top three reasons in men were “Establishing the relationship,” “Financial security,” and “Lack of fertility knowledge.” Lack of fertility knowledge was associated with regret over the timing of the childbearing decision in women (β = 0.232, 95% CI = 0.075-0.318, p = 0.002) and men (β = 0.238, 95% CI = 0.083-0.371, p = 0.002). In men, health problems was also associated with regret over the timing of the childbearing decision (β = 0.196; 95% CI = 0.039-0.332, p = 0.013).Conclusions: Uninformed decision making based on lack of fertility knowledge was significantly associated with regret later in life. It is important for early reproductive-aged women and men to have fertility knowledge in order to make an informed decision about the timing of childbearing to alleviate the possibility of experiencing regret later in life.Keywords: uninformed decision making, regret, delay in childbearing, fertility knowledge, preconception health