Experiences and evaluations of sex and reproductive health education, and fertility knowledge, among 18- to 19-year-old Japanese university students: a 2023 baseline survey

The sex and reproductive health education provided at school in Japan may not provide young people with an adequate understanding of fertility. This study investigated fertility knowledge and its relationship to sex education experiences and conversations with parents, among 18- to 19-year-old Japanese university students. A web-based questionnaire survey was completed by 759 first-year university students who had completed upper secondary school health education curriculum prior to its revision in the year 2018. Less than 10% of participants had learned about fertility in school or elsewhere. No participants had learned about the fertile window at school, and the correct response rate to the question about fertile window was only 28.5%. While 71.3% of participants rated their sex education at school as ‘adequate’, those who rated it as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ achieved higher correct response rates on fertility-related questions, for reasons that are unclear. Conversations with parents about sex, fertility, and family planning were infrequent, and participants expressed little interest in having them. Study findings underscore the need for comprehensive sexuality education in addition to increased fertility awareness in the community, to help young people make informed decisions about reproductive and sexual health.