For The Exclusive,
By Sara Shariff
To what extent do women in medicine alter the timing of pregnancy and modify career trajectories to accommodate parenthood and career?
Estimates suggest that 1 in 4 female physicians will experience infertility. Physicians face the possibility of being “involuntarily childless”.
A survey study of 1056 women physicians found that despite strong knowledge of age-related fertility decline, three-fourths of women physicians delayed childbearing and more than one-third experienced infertility. Nearly half of women with children reported passing up opportunities for career advancement to accommodate family building and parenthood.
Infertility in women, particularly among those pursuing demanding careers such as medicine, has emerged as a significant public health issue that warrants urgent attention. Studies indicate that female physicians face unique challenges related to fertility and reproductive health due to their rigorous training and work schedules. For instance, A study conducted by Armijo (2019) surveyed participants at a national leadership conference for women physicians and found that many reported significant workplace limitations regarding breastfeeding and family support. The demands of medical training, long work hours, and insufficient institutional policies create an environment where many female physicians feel compelled to defer or forgo childbearing altogether.
In the past, women were expected to choose between a career and motherhood, as the medical field was male-dominated and demanding. However, as more women entered the medical profession, there was a shift in societal expectations, with women now expected to balance both career and family life. This shift has led to women physicians delaying childbearing to focus on their careers, which in turn has increased the prevalence of infertility among this demographic.
A major contributing factor to infertility among female physicians is the late age at which many women attempt conception. Clark (2016) found that approximately 24% of surveyed female physicians who attempted conception were diagnosed with infertility, with an average diagnosis age of 33.
1 in 4 women physicians will face issues of infertility, which is double the rate of women in the general population.
Reproductive health issues, financial limitations, and the timing of motherhood impact career advancement and the physician workforce, as many women face the competing challenges of career advancement or building a family.
Knowledge is power. More than 53% of female physicians would have attempted to conceive earlier and 16.7% would have used cryopreservation to preserve fertility had they been aware that infertility might become an issue.
Professionally, infertility can disrupt career progression, as women physicians may need to take time off for fertility treatments or maternity leave. This can result in a loss of income, opportunities for advancement, and job satisfaction. The pressure to balance career and family responsibilities can also contribute to burnout and mental health issues among women physicians.
Some argue that advancements in reproductive technology have made it easier for women physicians to pursue motherhood later in life. Others believe that societal expectations and workplace pressures continue to hinder women's ability to balance career and family. It is important to consider these diverse perspectives when addressing the complexities of infertility among women physicians.
As such, addressing infertility in women within the medical field is not merely a personal concern but rather a systemic issue that requires comprehensive changes in workplace policies and societal attitudes towards motherhood and career. The problem of infertility among women physicians is a problem that has yet to be solved.
There are myriad, complex, and varied barriers to successfully creating a safe space for women physicians and trainees to pursue family building to meet individual needs. Thus, a multi-pronged, long-term, comprehensive effort is required to make the necessary changes to reduce this risk.
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