Research Note on the Role of Infertility and Medically Assisted Reproduction on the Realization of Ideal Family Size in Japan

More than one third of married Japanese women report concerns about infertility, and infertility is increasingly cited as a reason for not reaching fertility ideals. Births conceived using medically assisted reproductive treatments have contributed to reducing the ideal-actual fertility gap by about one third. Infertility concerns are increasingly reported across alleducational groups, but highly educated women are more likely than others to seek and receive treatment.