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Uterine cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. Declining fertility, combined with increasing overweight and diabetes, might be some of the causes accountable for the rapid increase in the incidence of endometrial cancer (EC). Around 5% of EC are diagnosed in women aged under 40 years. We present a case of EC in a 36‐year‐old woman confirmed by hysteroscopy‐directed biopsy, who became pregnant before receiving any primary treatment. She had no other significant medical or family history of interest. Image staging found a uterine‐confined disease. The pregnancy had a normal course. The patient refused any type of treatment after delivery; thus, she was closely monitored every 3 months. No signs of disease recurrence were detected during the follow‐up. Pregnancy may be possible with early EC and it might an effective treatment for the disease in this case. The pregnancy acts as treatment and the gestation could continue until term without complications, in this patient diagnosed with EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past half‐century, most countries have made progress through their demographic transitions with continuing declines in mortality and fertility. The major driver of fertility decline has been the adoption of contraception by women of reproductive age who increasingly desire smaller families. This paper documents the massive changes in contraceptive behavior that have occurred since 1970 at the global and regional levels and examines contraceptive use differentials by marital status and method. To understand the proximate causes of the rise in contraceptive use, we document the changes in the potential demand for contraception (among women who want to space or limit their childbearing) and the degree to which this potential demand is satisfied by the actual practice of contraception. The paper concludes with a confirmation of the strong inverse relationship between contraceptive use and fertility. The main sources of data for these analyses are comprehensive datasets with country, regional, and global estimates of historical trends in fertility and contraceptive behavior maintained by the Population Division of the United Nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing age, the reproductive performance of women and female animals declines. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying ovarian aging and age-related fertility decline remain unclear. Granulosa cells (GCs) are suspected to play an important role in reproductive aging, and their proliferation, apoptosis, and steroid hormone secretion are used to determine the fate of follicles and ovarian function. First, we found that the proliferative ability of GCs from the old mouse group (10-month-old) decreased compared with that from the young mouse group (6-week-old), and cell cycle arrest occurred in old mice. To investigate changes in protein modification, we compared the levels of protein acetylation in GCs from young and old mice. We found that the K1118, K1120, K1122, and K1124 sites of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) were increasingly acetylated with age, resulting in a decrease in DNMT1 protein expression. Therefore, we performed whole-genome methylation sequencing of GCs in the two groups and found that the CG methylation levels in the old group were lower than those in the young group. Furthermore, the inhibition of DNMT1 expression in GCs resulted in cell cycle arrest. This study revealed the dynamics and importance of protein acetylation and DNA methylation in GCs during reproductive aging. The findings provide a theoretical basis for studying the mechanism of reproductive aging in mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China’s fertility rate continues to decline despite government fertility policies. This study aims to explore the micro-level causes of China’s declining fertility rate by examining the impact of changes in Chinese work patterns in recent years, particularly the prevalence of overtime work, on fertility intentions. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study examines the impact of overtime work on fertility intentions at both the provincial and urban levels. It also examines the specific mechanisms through which different types of overtime (e.g. weekend overtime, night shifts, on-call duty) affect fertility intentions. The results show that overtime work significantly inhibits fertility intentions, a trend that is consistent at both provincial and urban levels. Weekend overtime, night shifts, and on-call duties exhibit particularly pronounced inhibitory effects on fertility intentions. However, not all work arrangements negatively impact fertility intentions. Reasonable work schedules may even foster them. The research implies the need for policy measures to mitigate the negative effects of overtime work on fertility intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fertility rate in Bangladesh has declined spectacularly from 6.8 in 1975 to 1.9 in 2021. This macro-level study assesses the role of globalization and a few economic and social variables on fertility rate for an extended period, 1975–2021, and separately for 1981–2021 and 1990–2021. It finds that globalization and each of its components are instrumental in declining fertility. The role of income is mostly positive. Educational attainment causes a declining fertility rate. Besides, a few estimations involving mean years of schooling (MYS) of males and females reveal an interesting fact that the MYS of males causes declining fertility, while that of females has the opposite impact. The impact of life expectancy is positive in the long run but negative in the short run. Population growth causes a rise in the fertility rate, while gender development has no consequential impact. The findings of this thorough analysis are unique as they document the impact of globalization as well as some other potential variables on the fertility rate. Previous studies have mostly concentrated on the role of family programs and the use of contraceptive use in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The struggle women face in balancing work and family roles is a significant factor contributing to the decline in their fertility intentions. Therefore, work-family conflict serves as a crucial determinant influencing women's fertility intentions. This study aims to explore the internal mechanism between work-family conflict and the fertility intentions of Chinese women, using data obtained from 334 questionnaires. Data analysis was conducted using Mplus 8.0. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) There is a negative correlation between work-family conflict and women's fertility intentions. (2) Fertility attitudes play a mediating role in the relationship between work-family conflict and women's fertility intentions. (3) The relationship between work-family conflict and women's fertility intentions is moderated by income class. (4) The relationship between work-family conflict and women's fertility intentions is moderated by women's child-rearing burden. The findings of this study provide a foundation for governments at all levels to formulate population policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As women increasingly delay childbearing for educational and career pursuits, understanding the age-related decline in ovarian reserve becomes crucial to avoid infertility. Egg freezing offers a solution, extending the window for achieving pregnancy with a biological child. However, awareness and acceptance of age-related fertility decline and elective egg freezing vary across countries and social groups. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study investigates fertility awareness, childbearing intentions, and attitudes toward elective egg freezing among 138 undergraduate female students at a private university in Kumasi, Ghana. Data were collected via a Google App-based questionnaire. Results: The majority of respondents were below 28 years old (76.3%), Christians (79.26%), and single (57. 78%). Many respondents overestimated their knowledge of age-related fertility decline, with almost half (48.89%) incorrectly believing it occurs after age 40. Primary sources of fertility education included health professionals, the Internet, and television. While most (62.96%) considered childbearing necessary, they would not have a child without a partner. Acceptance of donor egg in vitro fertilisation (IVF) varied based on circumstances, and a significant portion was open to donating their eggs (41.48%). Awareness of elective egg freezing was low, but nearly half (48.89%) expressed interest in it, primarily to retain the option for a biological child. The cost of elective egg freezing was a significant deterrent. Conclusions: The study revealed a significant lack of awareness regarding age-related fertility decline and elective egg freezing among female university students in Kumasi. Most prefer having a biological child only with a partner. While few were open to donating their eggs or accepting the same to achieve a pregnancy, interest in elective egg freezing was notable, albeit hindered by cost. The study recommends enhanced education by health professionals using social media and television to address these gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to review patient experience with social fertility preservation (sFP), as compared to medical fertility preservation (mFP), in a context where sFP is fully reimbursed. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving patients who underwent oocyte cryopreservation for mFP between 2017 and 2023 and sFP between 2022 and 2023 at a large ART single center. Additionally, we surveyed patients undergoing sFP and mFP, regarding their experiences, intentions, awareness, and financial consideration. Results: A total of 97 oocyte retrievals were performed for sFP in 75 women, and 155 were performed in mFP (127 women). Median ages were 36.4 years for sFP and 28.9 years for mFP. Median oocytes retrieved per session were 10 for sFP and 8 for mFP. Ninety-seven percent of of mFP participants were informed by healthcare professionals, while half of sFP participants learned through personal acquaintances. The primary motivation for sFP was a desire for pregnancy while being single. Most respondents in both groups knew that 15–20 oocytes are typically needed for a successful birth. None were aware of the "DuoStim" option, but interest was expressed by most women. Surprisingly, despite full reimbursement for sFP in France, 78% expressed willingness to pay if necessary. Conclusion: Many women choose sFP due to concerns about declining fertility, often informed by non-medical sources. Free access to sFP can help mitigate the global decline in natality by allowing women to anticipate age-related fertility decline. This study should be considered by other countries as they may increasingly cover sFP costs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a major component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can be recognized by toll-like receptors (TLRs) and induce inflammation through MyD88 or the TIR domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β (TRIF) pathway. Previous studies have found that LPS-associated inflammatory/immune challenges were associated with ovarian dysfunction and reduced female fertility. However, the etiology and pathogenesis of female fertility decline associated with LPS are currently complex and multifaceted. In this review, PubMed was used to search for references on LPS and fertility decline so as to elucidate the potential mechanisms of LPS-associated female fertility decline and summarize therapeutic strategies that may improve LPS-associated fertility decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid‐twentieth century, the Global South has experienced unprecedently rapid and pervasive changes in reproductive behavior with fertility declining from high pre‐transitional levels to below 3 births per woman in most low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). Over time a rough consensus has been reached on major theories about the causes of these declines. However, a controversy remains about the widely held view that changing reproductive preferences (i.e., declining desired family size and rising demand for birth limitation) are the dominant drivers of fertility transitions. Several studies question this conclusion and suggest instead that the rising implementation of existing demand is the main cause of the reproductive revolution in LMICs. The objective of this study is to reconcile the competing “demand” and “implementation” perspectives. This paper assesses the strengths and weaknesses of published decompositions which take trends in the observed total fertility and contraceptive prevalence and break them down into their respective demand and implementation components. The main conclusion from this exercise is that fertility transitions are driven by changes in both preferences and their implementation. Claims of a completely dominant role for either demand or implementation are based on flawed methods and hence must be rejected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay expores demographic effects on the international order over the postwar decades and potentially through the next half‐century. Such effects derive from the relative sizes of populations and labor forces among states, contrasts in age distributions (resulting from the regionally staggered timing of fertility decline), and high levels of international migration, fueled by economic disparities and civil conflict. In coming decades, differential population growth and aging—in some states, entrenchment of population decline—will shift the global distribution of labor away from East Asia and Europe and toward South and West Asia and especially Africa. Short‐range migration may be pressed by environmental change; longer‐range migration toward rich countries, much of it illicit and already an intractable public policy issue in many of them, will face increased societal resistance and stronger efforts to police entry. The future international order will see a states system with the Global North further demographically marginalized; India as an emerging economic‐demographic superpower, joining a fast‐aging China and plausibly a less internationally engaged United States; and a demographically dominant Africa with as yet a wholly unclear place in the global political economy. Although not part of standard demographic projections, there are extreme global warming scenarios and other disaster eventualities that could be radically transformative of this order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, there has been worldwide growing interest on profiling the human fertility of populations because there has been a noticeable global decline in fertility rate, leading to increased attention toward reproductive health and fertility. The decline in fertility of population of the Arab World was investigated for the 10 years period between 2011–2021. The Arab World was classified into three regional blocks; Block-1 Arabian Peninsula countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Yemen. Block-2 Fertile Crescent Arab countries: Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and Gaza. Block-3 African Arab countries: Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia. Data on fertility rates for the 10 years period between 2011–2021 were collected from the World Bank for Arab countries. Statistical analysis along with decline in the fertility rates were determined. Results: Fertility rates varied across Arab countries in 2011 and 2021, with notable decline ranging from 24.3% to 3.8%, except for Algeria, with zero decline. Countries that exhibited significant decline were Jordan (24.3%) followed by Iraq (22.2%) then Yemen (19.1%); Whereas, countries that exhibited slight fertility decline were Libya (3.8%), followed by Tunisia (4.5%), Lebanon (4.5%) and Kuwait (4.5%). On another note, lowest fertility rate was observed in UAE as maintained between 1.7% and 1.5% and the highest fertility rate was observed in Somalia as maintained between 7.3% and 6.3% for 2011 and 2021 respectively. Conclusion: The present study reveals the declining-trend in fertility rate across Arab countries, influenced by variable factors. Therefore, we recommend to the Council of the Health Ministries in the Arab-League to focus on investigating the fertility decline as an important parameter for public health in the Arab world to maintain natural balanced fertility rate. As some non-biological factors surrounding the Arabian region, such as instability, war, migration, the present study did not aim to include the influence of war and migration on fertility because both war and migration are non-biological external factors and both are not among the WHO criteria for fertility determination which based of the population growth rate of population under normal living conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY QUESTION What is the molecular landscape underlying the functional decline of human testicular ageing? SUMMARY ANSWER The present study provides a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of testes from young and old humans and offers insights into the molecular mechanisms and potential targets for human testicular ageing. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Testicular ageing is known to cause male age-related fertility decline and hypogonadism. Dysfunction of testicular cells has been considered as a key factor for testicular ageing. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Human testicular biopsies were collected from three young individuals and three old individuals to perform single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). The key results were validated in a larger cohort containing human testicular samples from 10 young donors and 10 old donors. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS scRNA-seq was used to identify gene expression signatures for human testicular cells during ageing. Ageing-associated changes of gene expression in spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) and Leydig cells (LCs) were analysed by gene set enrichment analysis and validated by immunofluorescent and functional assays. Cell–cell communication analysis was performed using CellChat. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The single-cell transcriptomic landscape of testes from young and old men was surveyed, revealing age-related changes in germline and somatic niche cells. In-depth evaluation of the gene expression dynamics in germ cells revealed that the disruption of the base-excision repair pathway is a prominent characteristic of old SSCs, suggesting that defective DNA repair in SSCs may serve as a potential driver for increased de novo germline mutations with age. Further analysis of ageing-associated transcriptional changes demonstrated that stress-related changes and cytokine pathways accumulate in old somatic cells. Age-related impairment of redox homeostasis in old LCs was identified and pharmacological treatment with antioxidants alleviated this cellular dysfunction of LCs and promoted testosterone production. Lastly, our results revealed that decreased pleiotrophin signalling was a contributing factor for impaired spermatogenesis in testicular ageing. LARGE SCALE DATA The scRNA-seq sequencing and processed data reported in this paper were deposited at the Genome Sequence Archive (https://ngdc.cncb.ac.cn/), under the accession number HRA002349. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Owing to the difficulty in collecting human testis tissue, the sample size was limited. Further in-depth functional and mechanistic studies are warranted in future. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the cell type-specific mechanisms underlying human testicular ageing at a single-cell resolution, and suggest potential therapeutic targets that may be leveraged to address age-related male fertility decline and hypogonadism. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFA1104100), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32130046, 82171564, 82101669, 82371611, 82371609, 82301796), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, China (2022A1515010371), the Major Project of Medical Science and Technology Development Research Center of National Health Planning Commission, China (HDSL202001000), the Open Project of NHC Key Laboratory of Male Reproduction and Genetics (KF202001), the Guangdong Province Regional Joint Fund-Youth Fund Project (2021A1515110921, 2022A1515111201), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2021M703736). The authors declare no conflict of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oocytes play a crucial role in transmitting maternal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), essential for the continuation of species. However, the effects of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) on mammalian oocyte maturation and mtDNA maintenance remain unclear. We investigated this by conditionally knocking out the Sod2 gene in primordial follicles, elevating mitochondrial matrix ROS levels from early oocyte stages. Our data indicates that reproductive aging in Sod2 conditional knockout females begins at 6 months, with oxidative stress impairing oocyte quality, particularly affecting OXPHOS complex II and mtDNA-encoded mRNA levels. Despite unchanged mtDNA mutation load, mtDNA copy numbers exhibited significant variations. Strikingly, reducing mtDNA copy numbers by reducing mtSSB protein, crucial for mtDNA replication, accelerated reproductive aging onset to three months, underscoring the critical role of mtDNA copy number maintenance under oxidative stress conditions. This research provides new insights into the relationship among mitochondrial ROS, mtDNA, and reproductive aging, offering potential strategies for delaying aging-related fertility decline. Elevating mitochondrial ROS induces female reproductive aging without increasing maternal mtDNA mutation load where deducing mtDNA copy numbers accelerates this phenomenon, highlighting the importance of maintaining mtDNA quantity under oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fertility declined sharply and unexpectedly in Finland in the 2010s across educational levels. Using Finnish register data, we calculated total fertility rates (TFRs) and the proportion of women expected to have a first birth in 2010–2019 for 153 educational groups—reflecting field and level—and estimated how the characteristics of a group predicted its decline. As the educational field predicts factors related to economic uncertainty, heterogeneity in fertility decline across fields could shed light on the role of economic uncertainty behind the recent fertility decline. In general, women with the highest initial fertility levels (health, welfare, and education) and women in agriculture experienced weaker fertility declines (around −20% or less), while women with the lowest initial levels (ICT, arts and humanities) experienced stronger declines (around −40% or more). The extent of the fertility decline increased with higher unemployment and lower income levels in the field and with a lower share employed in the public sector. These uncertainty measures together explained one-fourth of the decline in TFR and two-fifths of the decline in first births. The results imply that fertility declined across all groups, but those with stable job prospects escaped very strong declines. Objective economic uncertainty is one aspect that mattered for the recent fertility decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study aimed to understand the age‐specific internal migration patterns in Japan where more than a quarter of the population is aged ≥65 years and the national population is on the decline, focusing on the urban hierarchy. Demographic efficiency, which is the ratio of net to gross migration, was calculated for each migration flow between the levels of urban hierarchy in Japan based on the 2020 census. The results showed that the overall upward migration, which is a movement from lower to higher levels in the urban hierarchy, was dominant. A variation in migration patterns by age confirmed that young adults, especially those aged 20–24 years, moved up the urban hierarchy unidirectionally, while people of preretirement and retirement age moved down. The older adults (aged 75 and over) were inclined to move up. Regarding sex‐based differences, the demographic efficiency of women was higher than that of men. Additionally, the upward movement of women was predominant in almost all age groups. These findings suggest the possibility that aggregated migration behaviours may vary by sex, which has received little attention in previous migration studies focusing on urban hierarchies in other countries. Furthermore, this study discussed policy implications based on the observed patterns, such as the impacts of older adults' migration on social security at each hierarchy level and a possible relationship between women's upward migration patterns and future fertility decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fertility has declined in many rich societies after 2010. However, the factors that explain this fertility decline remain poorly understood. In particular, little is known about how changes on the housing market contributed to the fertility decline. This study examines the links between house prices and fertility in the Netherlands, a country where house prices have risen dramatically in the past decade. Regional (NUTS 3) data for the period 1995–2022 are analysed using within‐between models. The results for the within‐effect of house prices show that after 2010, fertility decreased (more) in regions where house prices increased (more), suggesting that the housing crisis in the Netherlands can explain a substantial part of the post‐2010 fertility decline. Before 2010, however, increases in regional house prices were associated with small increases in fertility, showing that the direction of the within‐effect of house prices depends on the time period that is studied. Finally, differences in house prices between regions are not consistently associated with fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the possibility for healthy women to consider or undertake oocyte freezing for non-medical reasons (OFNMR) allows women who want to have biological children, to enable motherhood at a later time, while protecting against age-related fertility decline. The present study explored the intended OFNMR among healthy Israeli women by looking at the interplay of age, childbearing intention and general self-efficacy – a personal resource. Two hundred fifty-one Israeli women were recruited through social networks and online forums related to women’s issues in general. Participants completed self-report questionnaires addressing socio-demographic data, childbearing intention, general self-efficacy, and OFNMR intention. The results revealed that the association between women’s age and OFNMR intention was insignificant. However, childbearing intention moderated the association between women’s age and OFNMR intention. Specifically, the association between age and OFNMR intention was positive and significant for women with childbearing intention while for women without childbearing intention, it was negative and significant. General self-efficacy was not found to be associated with OFNMR intention. The current study shed light on the role of childbearing intention in the context of fertility decisions, especially among women who verbalize their intention for OFNMR. Routine discussion between health-care professionals and women regarding childbearing intentions is recommended, especially with women nearing age-related decline in fertility [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent sluggish economic growth in developed countries has become a cause for concern regarding the long-term sustainability of the global economy. Continuous declines in the total fertility rate (TFR) constitute an essential factor in stagnant economic growth in developed countries. In this paper, we utilize fixed and random effect models to examine the relationships of TFR with putative TFR determinants in G7 countries from 1980 to 2020. Our findings support the societal response hypothesis wherein the relationship between TFR and female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) is posited to be stable and positive. Furthermore, the present study confirms a positive relationship of crude marriage rate (CMR) and market childcare availability (MktCC) with TFR. A negative relationship between the ageing population (AGE) and TFR was observed, consistent with broad concerns regarding the impending economic impacts of population ageing in developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackgroundMethodsResultsConclusionThe elderly population of India has been growing exponentially over the past few decades, caused by a decline in fertility and an increase in life expectancy. The growth eventually has transcended the disease burden on the public healthcare system. This calls for a need to evaluate the healthcare utilization pattern of the elderly based on their socioeconomic and working condition.Study used access to public and private healthcare services to measure healthcare utilization. Descriptive analysis and multivariable logistic regression were used to understand utilization patterns by working status and some selected sociodemographic parameters. All the results were reported at a 95% confidence interval.Using the data from the first wave of Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) with a sample of 22,680 older persons 60 years and above. The study identified that 50% of the working elderly access private services; however, 26% access public healthcare services. It was found that the working status of the elderly alone did not influence access to healthcare services, but education is also an essential indicator for utilizing healthcare services. Further, factors such as gender, marital status, religion, wealth, tobacco usage, self-rated health, ADL and IADL were significant predictors of healthcare services’ utilization for the elderly.This study suggests that there are not many differences found among working and non-working status with healthcare utilization, although some sociodemographic indicators are associated with the utilization of healthcare services, highlighting that increasing health needs among the elderly requires strengthening the quality and appropriate public investment in health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Western context of delayed motherhood and declining fertility, an array of fertility enhancements have emerged. While bioethical debates and literature on the technological prowess of these enhancements proliferate, it is useful to explore the lived experience of women undergoing them. This article uses Tabitha Moses' artwork Investment, a series of embroidered hospital gowns, as a vehicle to explore lived experience of women engaging with fertility enhancements, including in vitro fertilisation. This analysis challenges dominant biomedical and corporate discourses framing fertility enhancements as benign. Using constructs of patriarchy, biopower, biopolitics (Foucault), and technobiopower (Haraway), we identify how power over women's bodies is extended through fertility enhancements. Haraway's notion of figuration supports the analysis. Understood as a tropic melding of semiotic and material, the figuration of The Infertile Woman offers a way to explore discursive operations of power and amid them the creation of a new form of reproductive labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of understanding of the persistence of elevated teen fertility rates in certain regions and countries, in contrast to the significant decline observed in other regions globally. This report considers fertility trends among 15‐ to 19‐year olds in the period 1950–2020 and explores potential driving factors behind the significant shifts that occurred over this period. The countries where teen fertility remains high are those with fast‐growing populations, primarily located in sub‐Saharan Africa. Countries with higher teen fertility are typically characterized by limited use of modern contraception, lower education levels, and early marriage. Sub‐Saharan Africa has emerged as the world region with the most teen births, increasing its proportion of global teen births from 12 percent in 1950 to 47 percent in 2020, a time during which this region's share of the global adolescent (15–19) population grew from 7.5 percent to 19 percent. By 2035, 67 percent of all teen births globally are projected to occur in this region. Consequently, the future number of births to teenage mothers will to a large extent depend on the development in sub‐Saharan Africa over the coming decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Awareness of the age-related decline in fertility potential has increased the popularity of planned oocyte cryopreservation (POC). However, data regarding outcomes of POC, including rates of women returning to thaw oocytes, as well as pregnancy and live birth rates, are scarce and based mostly on small case series. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE POC was defined as cryopreservation exclusively for prevention of future age-related fertility loss. The primary outcome was live birth rate per patient. The secondary outcomes included the return to thaw rate and laboratory outcomes. A meta-regression analysis examining the association between live birth and age above 40 or below 35 was conducted. SEARCH METHODS We conducted a systematic database search from inception to August 2022. The search included PubMed (MEDLINE) and EMBASE. Our search strategies employed a combination of index terms (Mesh) and free text words to compile relevant concepts. The systematic review and meta-regression were undertaken following registration of systematic review (PROSPERO registration number CRD42022361791) and were reported following guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses 2020 (PRISMA 2020). OUTCOMES The database search yielded 3847 records. After the selection process, 10 studies, conducted from 1999 to 2020, were included. Overall, 8750 women underwent POC, with a mean cryopreservation age of 37.2 (±0.8). Of those, 1517 women returned to use their oocytes with a return rate of 11.1% (± 4.7%). The mean age at the time of cryopreservation for women who returned to use their oocytes was 38.1 (±0.4), with an average of 12.6 (±3.6) cryopreserved oocytes per woman. In a meta-analysis, the oocyte survival rate was 78.5% with a 95% CI of 0.74–0.83 (I 2 = 93%). The live birth rate per patient was 28% with a 95% CI of 0.24–0.33 (I 2 = 92%). Overall, 447 live births were reported. In a sub-group analysis, women who underwent cryopreservation at age ≥40 achieved a live birth rate per patient of 19% (95% CI 0.13–0.29, I 2 = 6%), while women aged ≤35 years old or younger had a higher live birth rate per patient of 52% (95% CI 0.41–0.63, I 2 = 7%). WIDER IMPLICATIONS POC emerges as a feasible option for women aiming to improve their chances of conceiving at a later reproductive age. Nonetheless, it must be acknowledged that the overall success rates of POC are limited and that the likelihood of successful live birth declines as the age at cryopreservation rises. With increasing interest in POC, the collation of comprehensive and high-quality data is imperative to clearly define the outcomes for various age groups. REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42022361791. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's rate of aging population and declining fertility are very rapid. The role of demographic transition in the development of the manufacturing industry remains controversial. We construct a heterogeneous DSGE model that includes demographic dividends to simulate and analyze the impact of demographic transition on the expansion and upgrading of manufacturing industry. Besides, we conduct empirical research using China's provincial-level panel data from 2003 to 2020. The results reveal that, first, the recession of the first demographic dividend characterized by a decrease in labor supply has suppressed the expansion of manufacturing scale, but promoted structural upgrading; second, the second demographic dividend can promote the growth of output in various manufacturing industries, especially advanced manufacturing; third, receiving the second demographic dividend can offset the negative effect from recession of the first demographic dividend on manufacturing industry. However, the negative impact currently suffered by China's manufacturing industry cannot be fully compensated for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: China's transition into an aging society is accelerated by the simultaneous decline in fertility rates and the prolonged life expectancy of older adults. The impact of widowhood, a significant stressor in old age, has emerged as a crucial factor affecting the quality of life among the elderly. Methods: This study is based on data from the 2018 China Health and Aging Tracking Survey. Multiple linear regression models were employed to investigate the influence of widowhood on the quality of life of older adults in China. Additionally, Bootstrap mediation effects were utilized to assess the mediating role of intergenerational support, considering both financial and emotional support from children. Results: The findings indicate a substantial reduction in the quality of life index among older adults following widowhood. Moreover, the impact is more pronounced among older men compared to older women. Rural older adults experience a significant decline in quality of life post-widowhood, while the effect on urban counterparts is not statistically significant. Conclusions: Intergenerational financial support was identified as a partial mediator between widowhood and the quality of life among older adults. This underscores the importance of familial financial assistance in mitigating the adverse effects of widowhood on the well-being of the elderly. These results offer valuable insights into the nuanced impact of widowhood on the quality of life among older adults in China, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions, especially in rural areas. Clinical trial: Not applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key question for the explanation of fertility trends in advanced societies is whether, in addition to age, period- rather than cohort-related factors matter. In this paper, we analyze a standard set of age-specific fertility rates – from the Human Fertility Database – on the United States between 1933 and 2015. More specifically, we describe and apply an Age-Period-Cohort (APC) modeling approach that relies on second differences as identifiable parameters. Results of our APC analyses tend to be consistent with an interpretation that gives a greater weight to period effects over shorter time horizons, with a significant presence of smooth cohort effects over the longer term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Jamaica's fertility rate has been declining, remittance inflows have been increasing. To elucidate the empirical causal impact of remittances on fertility in Jamaica, we test for cointegration with structural break and by bounds testing using annual data from 1976 to 2019. There are two key findings. First, we find cointegration running from remittances to the fertility rate. Second, we find that after controlling for potentially confounding factors, increases in remittances are associated with a decline in the fertility rate in the long run. Important attendant policy implications arising are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper empirically investigates whether oil abundance affects fertility in a panel of developing and developed countries for 1970–2020. The exploration sheds light into why poor developing economies rich in natural resources such as Sub-Saharan African countries have stagnated with high fertility. It finds that fertility rises once oil abundance crosses a threshold level, below which fertility drops, controlling for oil volatility and per-capita GDP. The effect operates in part through women empowerment proxied by female's labor supply and education. It is also found that oil volatility raises fertility. Besides, we observe a reversal of fertility decline once income reaches a certain level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Evidence indicates that postpartum and post-abortion women accept family planning at a higher rate when offered timely at appropriate sites. Therefore, this study explored barriers and enablers of postpartum and post-abortion family planning utilization in primary health care units of Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia, from June 20 to July 25, 2022. Methods: We used a case study strategy of qualitative research using both the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion (GYSI) frameworks was conducted from June to July 2022. We conducted 41 in-depth and key informant interviews and six focus group discussions. We also used Open Code software version 4.02 for coding and further analysis and applied a framework analysis. Results: The analysis of this study identified barriers and enablers of postpartum and post-abortion family planning service uptake in five CFIR domains and four GYSI components. The barriers included misconceptions and sole decision-making by husbands, cultural and religious barriers, and healthcare providers paying less attention to adolescents and husbands, which prevented them from using immediate postpartum and postabortion family planning services. The health facilities were not adequately staffed; there was a shortage and delay of supplies and infrastructure, trained staff turnover, and poor accountability among service providers. The existence of community structure, equal access and legal rights to the service, and having waivered services were enablers for postpartum and post-abortion family planning service uptake. Conclusion and recommendation: The current study identified various barriers and enablers to the uptake of postpartum and post-abortion family planning. Therefore, there is a need for high-impact interventions such as targeting male partners and girls, ensuring infrastructure, supplies, and equipment, building staff capacity, and making decisions jointly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite progress in access to family planning services in many sub-Saharan African countries in recent decades, advances in effective early postpartum contraceptive adoption remain low, and the unmet need for early postpartum contraceptives is high. In Ethiopia, early postpartum modern contraceptive method uptake is still unacceptably low. The barriers/challenges have not yet been sufficiently explored. A deep and detailed understanding of the contextualized barriers and challenges in the adoption of early postpartum contraceptive methods is crucial in developing future locally-appropriate interventions. Objectives: This study aimed to explore barriers/challenges to the uptake of early postpartum modern contraceptive methods after childbirth in Dessie and Kombolcha zones, in northeast Ethiopia. Methods: Aconventional content analysis qualitative study was deployed in Dessie and Kombolcha town zones, northeast Ethiopia using a theoretical purposive sampling technique. A total of 57 study subjects were participated. The sample size was determined using the rule of information saturation through 7 key informant interviews, 6 in-depth interviews, and 5 focused-group discussions with 8–10 participants each. Data were collected using an unstructured interview guide and recorded using a digital audio recorder and field notes. The trustworthiness of the study was assured using different techniques. The collected data were transcribed and translated from native language to English. Atlas-ti version7 software was used to facilitate conventional content qualitative data analysis approach. Open coding, categories, subthemes, and overreaching themes were developed, and a conceptual model of barriers was organized through network analysis. Result: Barriers to uptake of early postpartum modern contraception quoted by study participants and themed were related knowledge, attitude, family-community, health facility, contraceptive method, cultural, religious, fertility desire, gender issues, and misconceptions. The sub-themes of knowledge-related barriers that emerged were lack of awareness of the time to take birth control methods, not knowing the time pregnancy is likely after childbirth, and not being committed to taking contraceptives early enough after childbirth. Moreover, beliefs that modern contraceptives cause breast milk to dry up and perceived low fecundability after childbirth were indicated as attitude barriers. Health facility barriers were lack of reminders and follow-up mechanisms, sporadic service delivery and opening time, long waiting time, and card withdrawal process and providers' approach. Social stigma, child sex preference, and religious restrictions against contraceptive use were community barriers. Conclusion: Generally individual, facility-based, method-related, misconceptions, societal, and cultural barriers were identified as hindrances to the uptake of early postpartum modern contraceptive methods. There is a need for health-seeking behavioral interventions, innovative contraceptive methods, and facility-level interventions to overcome each identified barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic was accompanied by social and economic changes previously associated with fertility delay and reduction, sparking widespread discussion of a "baby bust" in the United States. We examine fertility trends using restricted vital statistics data from California, a diverse population of 40 million, contributing 12 percent of U.S. births. Using time series models that account for longer‐run fertility trends, we observe modest, short‐term reductions in births from mid‐2020 through early 2021. Birth counts in subsequent months matched or even eased the pace of fertility decline since the 2008 recession and are unlikely a function of the pandemic alone. Responses to the pandemic were heterogeneous. Fertility declined markedly among the foreign‐born population, largely driven by changes in net migration. Among the U.S.‐born population, the short‐term pandemic‐attributable reductions were largest among older, highly educated people, suggesting mechanisms of fertility reduction disparately accessible to those with the most resources. We find no evidence of a strong population fertility response to the pandemic's accompanying employment shock, providing additional evidence of a growing divide between macroeconomic conditions and fertility patterns in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to explain fertility dynamics during the pandemic, while considering countries' institutional context. We argue that containment policies disrupted people's lives and increased their uncertainty more in countries with weak welfare support systems, while health‐related and economic support NPIs mitigated such disruptions much more there, as they were less expected by citizens. We estimate monthly "excess" crude birth rates (CBRs) and find that countries with low public support—Southern Europe, East Asia, and Eastern Europe—experienced larger decreases and less of a rebound in CBRs than countries with histories of high public spending—Western, Central, and Northern Europe. However, in low support countries, NPIs are much more strongly associated with excess CBRs—containment NPIs more negatively and health and economic support NPIs more positively—with the exception of the one‐month lag of containment NPIs, for which the opposite holds. When putting these coefficients into broader perspective, our findings suggest that the actual implementation of all NPIs taken together mitigated fertility declines. This is especially the case for low public support countries, whereas one might have seen a birth decline even in high support countries if the NPIs were not implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the joint consequences of the COVID‐19 pandemic for fertility and birth outcomes by drawing on full population administrative data from Spain. We find a surprising improvement in birth outcomes in November and to a less extent in December 2020 (eight to nine months after the first wave of the pandemic) compared with monthly trends in the 10 previous years (2010–2019). The improvement in birth outcomes was shortly followed by a decline in fertility, which concentrated on first births, births to women without a tertiary degree, and births to young and old mothers, respectively. These findings are consistent with the idea that the pandemic selectively affected conception, which showed up first as an improvement in birth outcomes due to the missing conceptions of frail‐children‐to‐be (preterm and low birth weight) and then as a lowered fertility rate due to the missing conception of at‐term children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO NP) is one of the metal nanomaterials with extensive use in many fields such as feed additive and textile, which is an emerging threat to human health due to widely distributed in the environment. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand the toxic effects associated with ZnO NPs. Although previous studies have found accumulation of ZnO NPs in testis, the molecular mechanism of ZnO NPs dominated a decline in male fertility have not been elucidated. Results: We reported that ZnO NPs exposure caused testicular dysfunction and identified spermatocytes as the primary damaged site induced by ZnO NPs. ZnO NPs led to the dysfunction of spermatocytes, including impaired cell proliferation and mitochondrial damage. In addition, we found that ZnO NPs induced ferroptosis of spermatocytes through the increase of intracellular chelatable iron content and lipid peroxidation level. Moreover, the transcriptome analysis of testis indicated that ZnO NPs weakened the expression of miR-342-5p, which can target Erc1 to block the NF-κB pathway. Eventually, ferroptosis of spermatocytes was ameliorated by suppressing the expression of Erc1. Conclusions: The present study reveals a novel mechanism in that miR-342-5p targeted Erc1 to activate NF-κB signaling pathway is required for ZnO NPs-induced ferroptosis, and provide potential targets for further research on the prevention and treatment of male reproductive disorders related to ZnO NPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the question as to whether Pakistan's fertility transition is stalling. The paper reviews the trajectories of fertility and its various determinants and compares Pakistan's trends with those of India and Bangladesh. Countries in the South Asia region share features such as cultural similarities (e.g. the low status of women and son preference) and high poverty levels. However, while Bangladesh and India are near replacement fertility today with modern contraceptive prevalence rates well above 50 per cent, Pakistan still has one of the highest fertility and lowest contraceptive prevalence levels in Asia. Our main conclusion is that Pakistan's fertility transition is close to stalling in mid-transition. The key causes of this stall are a high and unchanging desired family size, stalling demand for contraception and relatively low satisfaction of this demand. These are important obstacles to future decline in fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During 2010–20, period fertility in England and Wales fell to its lowest recorded level. The aim of this paper is to improve our understanding of the decline in period fertility in two dimensions: differentials by the education of a woman's parents (family background) and by a woman's education in relation to that of her parents (intergenerational educational mobility). The analysis finds a substantial decline in fertility in each education group, whether defined by a woman's parents' education alone or by a woman's own education relative to her parents' education. Considering parents' and women's own education together helps differentiate fertility further than analysing either generation's education in isolation. Using these educational mobility groups more clearly shows a narrowing of TFR differentials over the decade, but timing differences persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the unprecedented global decline in fertility as a major demographic development in recent years, the present study was conducted to determine Causal association Between Family Health, Perceived Relationship Quality Components, and Attitudes toward Childbearing in Iranian Women: A WHO Model Analysis Methods: In 2023, this descriptive study recruited 400 married women presenting to selected comprehensive health centers affiliated to Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran. The data were collected through multistage stratified cluster sampling and using a socioeconomic status questionnaire (Ghodratnama), the Perceived Relationship Quality Components (PRQC) scale, the family‐of‐origin scale (FOS), the attitudes toward fertility and childbearing scale (AFCS) and a demographic checklist were analyzed in SPSS 25 and LISREL 8.8. Results: According to the path analysis, family health exerted the most significant and positive causal effect on attitudes to childbearing directly through one path (B = 0.334) and relationship quality (B = 0.698) and duration of married life (B = 0.387) both directly and indirectly. The number of children (B = –0.057), however, exerted the most significant and negative causal effect on attitudes to childbearing through both paths. Conclusions: The present findings suggested the significant effects of family health and relationship quality on attitudes toward childbearing. It is therefore recommended that these variables be screened in comprehensive health centers, the associated limitations and problems be identified and appropriate training and counseling solutions be provided by health specialists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian aging is a complex process characterized by a decline in oocyte quantity and quality, directly impacting fertility and overall well-being. Recent researches have identified mitochondria as pivotal players in the aging of ovaries, influencing various hallmarks and pathways governing this intricate process. In this review, we discuss the multifaceted role of mitochondria in determining ovarian fate, and outline the pivotalmechanisms through whichmitochondria contribute to ovarian aging. Specifically, we emphasize the potential of targeting mitochondrial dysfunction through innovative therapeutic approaches, including antioxidants, metabolic improvement, biogenesis promotion, mitophagy enhancement, mitochondrial transfer, and traditional Chinese medicine. These strategies hold promise as effective means to mitigate age-related fertility decline and preserve ovarian health. Drawing insights from advanced researches in the field, this review provides a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between mitochondrial function and ovarian aging, offering valuable perspectives for the development of novel therapeutic interventions aimed at preserving fertility and enhancing overall reproductive health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate household projections are essential for sectors such as housing supply and tax policy planning, given the rapid social changes like declining birthrates, an aging population, and a rise in single-person households that impact household size and type. Korea introduced its first register-based census in 2015, transitioning from fiveyear general survey-based approach to an annual administrative data-based census. This change in census allows for more frequent and effective capturing the rapid demographic shifts and trends. However, this change in census has caused challenges in future projection by the existing household projection model due to the rapid dynamics. This paper proposes a new household projection method, the N-point Modified Exponential Model (MEM), that accurately reflects register-based census data and mitigates the impact of rapid demographic changes, in three types: the Weighted N-point MEM, the Regression-based N-point MEM, and the Rolling Weighted N+point MEM. Using register-based census data from 2016 to 2020 to forecast household headship rates by age, household size, and household type to 2051, the N-point modified exponential model outperformed the existing model in both long- and short-term forecast accuracy, suggesting its suitability as a future household projection model for Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the early 1960s, the world has witnessed the spectacular collapse of human fertility. As a result of this phenomenon, several countries are already seeing their population numbers fall and more will follow in the coming decades. The causes of this fertility decline involve a complex interplay of socio-economic, environmental, and biological factors that have converged to constrain fertility in posterity's wake. Since large numbers of offspring are no longer needed to compensate for high infant mortality in contemporary society, couples have opted to have small families in a quality-over-quantity investment in their progeny's future. Simultaneously, increases in female education, the enhanced participation of women in the paid workforce, and a resultant delay in childbearing has placed limits on achievable family size. Progressive urbanization, the improved availability of contraceptives, and the socio-economic pressures experienced by young adults in ageing societies are also contributing to fertility's demise. These factors, together with the individualism that pervades modern society and the increasing social acceptability of voluntary childlessness, have firmly established a low fertility ethos in most post-transition countries. Since none of these forces are about to relent, it looks as if extremely low fertility might be with us for some time to come. This may have long-term consequences. The lack of selection pressure on high fertility genotypes, the ability of ART to retain poor fertility genotypes within the population, and sustained exposure to reproductive toxicants in modern industrialized environments may all contrive to leave a permanent mark on the fecundity of our species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After a long decline, fertility in Tunisia, as in some Arab countries like Algeria and Egypt, recorded an unexpected increasing trend over the 2000 – 2018 period. To account for such demographic change, this paper re-examined the behavior of the main fertility decline factors tested by the previous empirical studies (such as education, income, mortality, and contraceptive use) to check whether they have changed in favor of an upward fertility evolution. Deepening the analysis, it introduced three new socio-economic factors that are likely to favor fertility increase: divorce, unemployment, and longevity. The dynamic one-step generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation on a cylindrical data panel from 1998 to 2018 for eight Tunisian regions confirmed the positive effect of these new variables. Additionally, the education-fertility interaction was found to be no longer obvious. The family planning program appeared to no longer play its role in limiting fertility. The income effect overcame the substitution effect in favor of a fertility increase. The observed increasing fertility trend in Tunisia seems to be more explained by the dominance of some sociocultural factors. Thus, policymakers should seek to better focus on the family institution's behavior to sustain fertility decline and improve the efficiency of its family planning program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Declining fertility rates across world have generated deep concern among different stakeholders. In 2019, Finland's fertility rate was at an 'ultra-low' 1.35 children per woman. Investigating the affective work of policymaking on population issues—'population anxieties'—in a Nordic welfare state, this article constructs a genealogy of the affective biopolitics of populations in Finland. Drawing from a corpus of historical and recent materials, the article explores how population policy has invited and harnessed emotional orientation towards certain collective futures, while being disclosive of others. The analysis focuses on the issues of 'fertility decline' and 'the environment', and the reconfigurations of the population–environment nexus over the past decades. The article argues that persistent concerns about depopulation through ultra-low fertility underlie the affective stakes of Nordic biopolitics. Meanwhile, there is evident resistance to connecting population policy concerns with the climate crisis in the Nordic context. While in the so-called developing countries, demographic and ecological futures are seen mutually constitutive, the connection is not perceived as relevant to the Finnish welfare state. This is so despite Finland belonging to the affluent part of the world that is the largest producer of carbon dioxide emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1960s Pakistan, every woman was giving birth to more than 6 children on average. In 2021, Pakistan still has the second-highest fertility rate in South Asia with every woman giving birth to 3.4 children on average. This paper uses four waves of Demographic and Health Survey data to empirically analyze trends in fertility in Pakistan between 1990 and 2018; accounting for wealth, education and locational differences, this paper looks at three additional pathways for reducing fertility: (i) electrification, (ii) access to TV and (iii) family planning commercials broadcast on television. Results show that electricity does not reduce fertility whereas access to television has a significant effect in reducing fertility rates. The content and evolution of Pakistani soap-operas are also discussed, and it is argued that the role models, the types of households and the messages conveyed by these soap-operas may represent strong pathways for the fertility decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the rise of contemporary populist movements in Europe and North America. These movements are driven primarily by working-class men who feel marginalized by developments in employment, work conditions, family life, and, in particular, by gender politics and the modern status of women. The growth of the service sector has created new opportunities for women. Demography, especially the decline in the fertility rate, has been neglected in sociological theories of the modern development of radical populism. With a declining and ageing population, the labor market depends increasingly on immigrant workers. These circumstances—feminism and migration—fuel the frustration of marginalized men who form the basis of radical populism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In accordance with our information, the age at first marriage of women is gradually increasing due to the increase in the level of education, a trend towards employment, and the reduction of social taboos, etc. On the basis of the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (2019-21) conducted in India, this study examines whether women's completed fertility is affected by their age at marriage in the presence of all other socioeconomic and demographic factors. The study includes a sample of 44,479 married women over the age of 45 years at the time of the NFHS-5 survey. The trend of completed fertility was examined using descriptive statistics. Bivariate analysis and multinomial logistic regression analysis were employed to show statistical significance. It was found that completed fertility declines gradually with increasing time at all ages at marriage (from NFHS-II to NFHS-V) and with increasing age at marriage in all four rounds of NFHS, completed fertility is reduced. Women who were 35 years and older at the time of marriage [ARRR = 2.619, 95% CI = 2.300, 2.983], who belonged to Hinduism [ARRR = 1.989, 95 % CI = 1.730, 2.287], who belonged to other castes [ARRR = 2.417, 95% CI = 2.120, 2.755], who had higher levels of education [ARRR = 21.424, 95% CI = 10.581, 43.378], who were exposed to mass media [ARRR = 1.266, 95% CI = 1.158, 1.384], who were living in urban areas [ARRR = 1.266, 95% CI = 1.008, 1.284], and who belonged to the southern region [ARRR = 6.208, 95% CI = 4.923, 7.828] were more likely to have less completed fertility. This study showed that the likelihood of less completed fertility is strongly influenced by the factor of age at marriage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the origins of differences in the pace of the demographic transition across African societies, and how do these differences affect economic development? We address this question by analyzing the average and heterogeneous effects of colonial-era Christian missionary activity on human capital accumulation, fertility, and wealth in Nigeria. Our identification strategy exploits discontinuities in mission stations around the borders of some Emirates of Northern Nigeria where missions were restricted from operating by the colonial administration. We find that areas with greater historical missionary activity have higher levels of schooling, lower fertility, and higher household wealth today. The long-run effect of missions is not found in areas with early access to government schools, and is larger for population subgroups—women and Muslims—that have historically suffered disadvantages in access to education. Importantly, we show that the restriction of missions in some Emirates of Northern Nigeria has led to a reversal of fortunes, wherein areas that were more institutionally developed in the precolonial period are relatively poorer today as a result of a slower pace of the demographic transition. The findings support the predictions of the unified theory of economic growth, whereby technological advancement leads to greater demand for education, triggering a fertility decline and resulting in higher incomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundAs the population ages, there has been a growing focus on the decline in fertility. Research has identified age and fertility history as the primary influencing factors. Nevertheless, there is a deficiency in fundamental data regarding the fertility status among different industries. ObjectiveTo investigate the fertility status and influencing factors among female workers aged 22-35 years in different industries. MethodsFrom July 2020 to February 2021, a cross-sectional survey was conducted using a staged sampling approach. This survey specifically targeted 22-35-year-old married female workers with a history of pregnancy in industries such as education, healthcare, finance, and telecommunications, totaling 22903 participants. The survey encompassed industry, demographic characteristics, pregnancy history, time to pregnancy (TTP), and other influencing factors. The influencing factors of decline in fertility were identified by chi-square test and Cox proportional hazards regression. Subsequent industry-specific Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to compared fertility decline patterns across a spectrum of industries after selected influencing factors were adjusted. ResultsAmong the 22903 respondents, 19194 valid questionnaires were collected, with a valid recovery rate of 83.8%. The cumulative pregnancy rates (CRP) of 1-6 months and 1-12 months for the 22-35-year-old female workers were 67.23% and 91.33% respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that region, age, education level, personal annual income, housework time, coping style, gravidity, parity, and spontaneous abortion were influencing factors of fertility decline (P