Evaluating the Quality and Reliability of Online Information on Social Fertility Preservation

Yi-Hong Shao; Togas Tulandi; Haim A Abenhaim

doi:10.1016/j.jogc.2019.10.029

Evaluating the Quality and Reliability of Online Information on Social Fertility Preservation

J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2020 May;42(5):561-567. doi: 10.1016/j.jogc.2019.10.029. Epub 2019 Dec 26.

Authors

Yi-Hong Shao¹, Togas Tulandi¹, Haim A Abenhaim²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, QC.
² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, QC; Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Community Studies, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, QC. Electronic address: haim.abenhaim@gmail.com.

PMID: 31883752
DOI: 10.1016/j.jogc.2019.10.029

Abstract

Objective: With the rising trend of postponing motherhood, there has been an increasing rate of infertility. Social fertility preservation offers the potential to overcome this age-related infertility, and many women are turning to the Internet to seek medical information. The aim of this study was to evaluate online information on social fertility preservation.

Methods: This study used five search terms-"egg freezing," "fertility preservation," "social egg freezing," "social fertility preservation," and "oocyte cryopreservation"-to identify the most popular sites as rated by Google. Accuracy of information and quality of websites were rated on the basis of four categories: Silberg's accountability criteria, Abbott's aesthetic criteria, Flesch-Kincaid readability score, and the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS) and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) recommendations (Canadian Task Force classification III).

Results: Study investigators identified the 21 most used websites. The average Silberg score was 6.57, with 85.7% of websites meeting the criteria for adequate accountability. Only one website (4.8%) did not meet the criteria for appropriate aesthetic appeal. The average Flesch-Kincaid readability score was 11.39, equivalent to a grade 11 reading level, which is significantly higher than the reading level of the general population. A total of 57% of websites contained less than half of the evidence-based recommendations provided in CFAS and SOGC recommendations.

Conclusion: Online information on social fertility preservation is easily accessible and aesthetically pleasing, but information is not easily readable and does not reflect evidence-based recommendations. Hence, health care professionals must fill the knowledge gaps and adequately counsel their patients to optimize a woman's chance at a successful pregnancy.

Keywords: Internet; cryopreservation; fertility preservation; oocytes.

MeSH terms

Access to Information*
Canada
Comprehension
Consumer Health Information / standards*
Cryopreservation*
Female
Fertility
Fertility Preservation*
Health Communication / methods
Health Literacy*
Humans
Information Seeking Behavior
Internet*
Patient Education as Topic / methods*
Pregnancy
Reproducibility of Results