Some studies have suggested that women physicians might be at a higher risk of experience childlessness or delay in childbearing compared to non-physicians. However, the data is available is largely based on self-reported surveys. The objective of this study is to compare the patterns of childbirth between physicians and non-physicians.
This population-based retrospective cohort study included a total of 31,878 women aged 15-50 years. Among the included women, 5,238 were physicians, and 26,640 were non-physicians. Childbirth patterns of women in both groups were examined and compared. The primary endpoint of the study was childbirth at gestational age (GA) 20 weeks or greater.
At a median follow-up of 15.2 years, physicians were less likely to experience childbirth at younger ages (HR 0.15) and initiated childbearing significantly later than non-physicians. The cumulative incidence of childbirth was 5% at 28.6 years in physicians compared to 19.4 years in non-physicians. However, the results also showed that physicians were more likely to experience childbirth at older ages and obtained a similar cumulative probability of childbirth as nonphysicians.
The research concluded that women physicians were less likely to initiative childbearing and experience childbirth at a younger age but were more likely to do so at an older age.
Ref: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2779068?resultClick=1
