The essential life skill college students aren’t learning in school

We spend years teaching young people how NOT to get pregnant. But how much time do we spend teaching them how to get pregnant when they're ready?

Very little.

We prepare college students for careers and financial independence, yet send them into adulthood knowing remarkably little about their fertility and reproductive wellness.

And that knowledge gap can have life-altering consequences.

It certainly did for me.

I spent my twenties and thirties building a successful career in technology, focused on preventing pregnancy until I met the right person. What I didn't understand was how dramatically my fertility would decline with age.

At 40, I learned my eggs were no longer viable. My ten-year journey to motherhood involved egg donation, IVF, multiple pregnancy losses, and enormous emotional and financial challenges.

I finally became a mother at 44 and 46. But how different might my journey have been if I'd learned about fertility at 20 instead of 40?

A 2023 Northwestern University study revealed startling gaps in fertility knowledge among college students and a hunger for better information:

72% wanted to learn more about fertility
68% planned to delay parenthood for education or careers
31% believed women in their forties were as fertile as women in their thirties
37% believed male age never affects fertility.

Young adults are making false assumptions about their reproductive futures without fully understanding the facts. And nearly three out of four want more information!

Fertility education isn't about telling women to have babies earlier or prioritize motherhood over careers. It's about empowering young adults to make informed choices.

Imagine every college student receiving basic fertility education through a health course or campus wellness program. They could learn about reproductive aging, fertility testing, infertility risks, and reproductive technologies—BEFORE facing a fertility crisis.

Looking back, I wish I'd understood the facts instead of relying on cultural myths about pregnancy and motherhood. I loved my career and wouldn't necessarily have changed my ambitions. But understanding my reproductive timeline would have empowered me while I still had more options.

Perhaps Id have made different decisions. Perhaps not. But at least those decisions would have been informed.

That's why I'm excited to speak at the National Women's Studies Association conference on November 6 in Atlanta! I'll connect with women's studies leaders from across the US and around the world to discuss why this missing conversation matters.

Through Cheris Choice, I'm advocating for fertility education to become a standard part of college, and I'll be visiting campuses to share this message.

Because education shouldn't just prepare students to make a living.  It should prepare them to design their lives intentionally and give them the tools to build authentic families on their own terms.

#knowyourfertility
#reproductivewellness