This module is intended to assist with the personal decision about whether to start a family. If a family is desired, there are complex decisions about when and how to do so along the medical education and career continuum. We hope the module inspires more people to be advocates for women that are navigating the decision to have children and confronting various challenges around starting or growing a family.
Key Goals
Increase awareness for physicians and for leaders of health systems or medical education of prevalence of infertility among female physicians.
Explore a wide range of perspectives among female professionals regarding the decision to have children.
Increase awareness of the variety of options available for family planning.
Evaluate the increased risk of infertility and adverse reproductive outcomes among female physicians in the context of medical training timelines, and identify evidence‑based mitigation strategies to support informed, individualized family‑planning decisions.
Examine how the structure and culture of medical education influence the timing of childbearing, and analyze how these decisions intersect with professional fulfillment, career advancement, and well‑being across the career continuum.
Analyze institutional and national family‑planning–related policies (e.g., parental leave, schedule flexibility, fertility benefits), and assess how progressive policy implementation impacts equity, physician retention, and organizational success.
Reflect on societal and professional expectations surrounding parenthood in medicine, including the experiences of physicians who are child‑free by choice or circumstance, and explore strategies to foster inclusive, supportive professional environments.
The following resources serve as the core materials for this module, ranging from scoping reviews to practical management guides:
Objective 1: Fertility & Family Planning for Female Physicians
Objective 2: Motherhood, Medicine & the Cost of Conflict
Objective 3: Policies That Support Physician Parents
Objective 4: The Many Paths of Physician Motherhood
Designed for personal journaling or pre-meeting preparation.
Knowledge Check
Career Stage Reflectionpact & Professional Growth
Cultural Signals Check‑In
Identifying Risk Factors
Individual vs System Mapping
Values Alignment
General Discussion Questions:
It is often an assumption that women will have children. When did you first consider having children? Do you feel more of an intrinsic or extrinsic desire for children?
If you’ve had children, what drove the timing of when you decided to have children? Would you have changed it if you could have?
Infertility can feel like a failure. What strategies have you or your colleagues utilized to accept and navigate this life challenge? How have your various institutions helped (or hindered) this issue?
How do your colleagues (fellow students, residents, attendings, staff) talk about women and their pregnancies or family planning decisions?
Objective Specific Discussion Questions (Based on articles)
Objective 1: Fertility & Family Planning for Female Physicians
Objective 2: Motherhood, Medicine & the Cost of Conflict
Objective 3: Policies That Support Physician Parents
Objective 4: The Many Paths of Physician Motherhood