# Assisted Reproductive Technology: Gaps in young adults' perceptions and information from clinics

María López-Toribio, J Melovska, Vera Dimitrievska, A Dostálová, Michaela Novotná, Virginie Rozée, Kristien Hens, Sebastià March, Francisco Güell, José Miguel Carrasco

<figure><img src="image_1.png" /></figure>

## ► To cite this version:

María López-Toribio, J Melovska, Vera Dimitrievska, A Dostálová, Michaela Novotná, et al. Assisted Reproductive Technology: Gaps in young adults' perceptions and information from clinics. European Journal of Public Health, 2022, 15th European Public Health Conference 2022, 32 (Supplement_3), pp.iii.239. 10.1093/eurpub/ckac129.588. hal-03899092

HAL Id: hal-03899092

https://hal.science/hal-03899092

Submitted on 13 Mar 2024

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access
archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci-
entific research documents, whether they are pub-
lished or not. The documents may come from
teaching and research institutions in France or
abroad, or from public or private research centers.

L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est
destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents
scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non,
émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de
recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires
publics ou privés.

<figure><img src="image_2.png" /></figure>
information on ART as scarce and suggested that govern-
ment-led information campaigns should be launched to raise
awareness on it. Concerning clinics, the websites provided
information on infertility and exhaustive technical descriptions
of ART techniques, although it may be difficult for the general
population to understand. Data offered on success rates were
unclear and heterogeneous.

**Conclusions:**

Gaps in citizens' expectations and needs and the information
provided by ART clinics were identified. Awareness campaigns
are needed to diminish social taboo on infertility and ART and
to promote reproductive health.

**Key messages:**

* Assisted Reproductive Technology is positively perceived by young adults, though their knowledge of it and infertility is low. Information campaigns are thus needed to raise awareness among the young.

* ART clinics have room for improvement in aligning the information provided on their websites with young people's perceptions and needs, and to show it in a more accessible and understandable way.

**Abstract citation ID: ckac129.588**

**Assisted Reproductive Technology: Gaps in young adults' perceptions and information from clinics**

José Miguel Carrasco

M López-Toribio<fnref n="1" />, J Melovska<fnref n="2" />, V Dimitrievska<fnref n="2" />, A Dostálová<fnref n="3" />,
M Novotná<fnref n="3" />, V Rozée<fnref n="4" />, K Hens<fnref n="5" />, S March<fnref n="1" />, F Güell<fnref n="6" />, JM Carrasco<fnref n="1" />

Contact: jmcargi@gmail.com

**Background:**

Around 186 million individuals are facing infertility world-
wide, with a huge impact on their wellbeing. Fertility care is
considered a key element to promote reproductive health. This
study aims to explore young adults' knowledge, perceptions
and concerns about infertility and Assisted Reproductive
Technology (ART), and to contrast it with the information
provided by ART clinics.

**Methods:**

A multi-country qualitative study was conducted in Albania,
Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Kosovo, North Macedonia and
Switzerland within the H2020 B2-INF project (Grant
Agreement 872706). In 2021, 10-15 semi-structured interviews
were conducted in each country with participants aged 18-30,
childless and non-ART users. Additionally, 3-5 clinics' websites
in each country were explored. Data was collected in native
languages and translated into English. A thematic analysis was
carried out.

**Results:**

In total, 98 interviews were conducted and 38 clinics' websites were explored. Three themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews: 1. Parenthood and (in)fertility; 2. Young people's perception on ART; 3. Information and publicity of ART. Parenthood was described as a relationship beyond biological ties and infertility as a social taboo. Most participants perceived ART positively and would use it if needed, although knowledge on ART was low. Participants considered

<footnote n="1">¹Research and Transfer, APLICA Cooperative, Madrid, Spain</footnote>

<footnote n="2">²Qualitative Research, Healthgrouper, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia</footnote>

<footnote n="3">³Management, Medistella Mediversvm s.r.o., Prague, Czechia</footnote>

<footnote n="4">⁴Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques, Paris, France</footnote>

<footnote n="5">⁵Department of Philosophy, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium</footnote>

<footnote n="6">⁶Mind-brain Group, Institute for Culture and Society ICS-UNAV, Pamplona, Spain</footnote>