Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Oct 2019
"Age is Just a Number": How Celebrity-Driven Magazines Misrepresent Fertility at Advanced Reproductive Ages.
Background: Recognizing the pervasive impact of popular media on reproductive-aged women, we sought to characterize the depiction of age-related fertility decline in widely consumed media. Materials and Methods: We performed a quantitative and qualitative analysis of top read print magazines targeting reproductive-aged women. Primary outcome measures include celebrity age at time of pregnancy, content related to assisted reproductive technology (ART) and donor gametes, and mention of risks related to pregnancy at advanced maternal age (AMA). Results: Four hundred sixteen magazine issues published between January 2010 and January 2014 included 1,894 headlines, photos, or text passages related to fertility. Fertility was highlighted on one-third of all magazine covers. ⋯ All 416 magazines (100%) contained at least 1 reference to contraception; only 10 magazines (2.4%) mentioned any form of ART. Conclusions: Widely consumed popular media downplays the impact of age on fertility. Magazines promote contraception contrasted with easily reachable fertility goals at advanced reproductive ages, with rare or no mention of ART, donor gametes, or AMA-related health risks. Magazine content may be a contributing source to the public's misconceptions about age-related fertility decline.
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Journal of women's health · Oct 2019
Editorial CommentIt Takes a Village to Develop a Faculty Pipeline.