What do friends and media tell us? How different information channels affect women’s risk perceptions of age-related female infertility

Abstract

Based on a survey given to a random sample of Swedish 20-40 year old females, this paper investigates through which channels women receive information about the general risk levels of age-related female infertility and how the different channels affect women’s perceptions of the risk. We find that the media reach women of all ages, while only about one woman in four has received information from the health care system. We also found that what peers say and do strongly affect women’s risk perceptions: The respondents who had obtained information from friends and relatives were more likely to state too high risks, while a woman with close friends or relatives who became pregnant at age 35 or older was more likely to have a correct perception of the risks. Since women are most interested in receiving information from the health care system, we argue that health care workers should inform women earlier than what happens today.