Taking a more proactive approach can help couples make lifestyle changes even before they are trying to conceive. However, we shouldn’t make like ostriches and bury our heads in the sand. In our poll, 20% said they would be freaked out by learning about their hormone levels before trying to conceive. Perhaps we don’t want to face the reality that we could be one of the many women to face infertility? In a modern world where we tend to plan our lives with tactical precision – what degree do I need to get my dream job? How much do I need to earn in 5 years to afford the house I’d love to buy? – it’s interesting that our family planning is something we often seem to leave to chance. The lack of education means that women often have a reactive approach to their own fertility. Taking a proactive approach to female hormones and fertility Everyone we asked were keen to understand more about the impact hormones have on fertility. Female infertility and preconception care are not on the syllabus, leaving many women unprepared when issues arise. At school, sex education is focused on how not to get pregnant. 96% of people thought education around hormones needed to be improved. It’s clear that women want to learn more about their female hormones and the effect they have on their fertility. Women want to learn more about their hormones It adds to the loss of control you could be feeling. Add into the equation the emotional strain of struggling to make a baby and it’s hard to get your head around it all. Trying to get your head around biological jargon is hard enough when studying for your GCSEs. Often they are sat there because they are struggling with their fertility. For many women, the first time they hear the acronyms LH and AMH are when they’re at a doctor’s office. It’s probably not surprising then that only 38% of the women surveyed said they had a good understanding of hormones involved in fertility. However, questions around female hormones and fertility were by far the most prominent. The questions that came in were varied: covering everything from PCOS to contraception. Our knowledge about female hormones and fertility testingĪt our May digital meetup, Doctor Linda Farahani, one of our fertility advisors, spoke to members all about hormones. It’s also why we wanted to understand more about your opinions on fertility testing! We conducted an Instagram poll to get your thoughts and it’s clear you agree with us: fertility testing needs revamping. That’s why we think women should understand fertility before they get to the point of struggling to conceive. So, it’s something we should feel more knowledgeable and confident about. 1 in 7 couples face infertility and the vast majority of women in the UK use hormonal contraception. We know that hormones and female fertility can be confusing.