Everyone's efforts to conceive

The number of unmarried men and women (18-29 years old) who want to have children in the future continued to decline from last year, while the percentage of those who do not want children in the future rose by approximately 6 percentage points from last year to a new record high of 62.6%. Furthermore, for the first time since the survey began in 2018, the percentage of women who answered that they do not want children exceeded the percentage of men.

For both unmarried men and women (ages 18-39), the peak age for wanting children is around 20. The number of people who want children in the future outweighs those who do not until age 24, revealing the existence of a "25-year-old wall" where intentions reverse. It was also found that the number of people who want children tends to decrease with age.

Regarding the desired age for having a first child among young, unmarried men and women who wish to have children in the future, in 2018, approximately 1 in 2.5 people (39.0%) wanted to have their first child by the age of 30. However, by 2025, this figure is projected to decrease to approximately 1 in 4 people (25.2%). The number of people hoping to have a first child in their 30s or later is increasing, indicating a shift in the desired age for having a first child. (The average age is 31.3 years old.)

More than half of young, unmarried men and women are concerned about the "financial burden" and "impediment to their careers" that comes with having and raising children. Furthermore, the percentages for both concerns were nearly 10% higher among women than men, indicating that women are more anxious about these issues.

Even among unmarried men and women who desire children, more than half have not yet begun gathering information, and their average score on quizzes about pregnancy and childbirth was lower than that of those who do not desire children.

Among unmarried men and women who wish to have children, more than 60% were unaware of the existence of local governments that support AMH testing and infertility treatment, and more than half responded that they were unaware that some infertility treatments are covered by insurance.

Among women who had tried to conceive and gave birth in their early 30s, more than 40% responded that they "started trying to conceive later than they had hoped." This suggests that, in addition to a lack of information and anxiety about fertility treatment, they prioritized work commitments and career advancement.
*To clarify whether women who are in the transitional period between a crucial career development phase and a time when their biological fertility changes were actually able to conceive at their desired time, we focused on the scores of women who gave birth in their early 30s.

Approximately 80% of people began gathering information about pregnancy and childbirth after getting married, with fertility treatment and their own life plans in mind. However, 58.3% of men and 67.6% of women who have tried to conceive said that "getting pregnant is more difficult than they imagined before starting to try to conceive." It was also revealed that about 60% of those who have tried to conceive felt that "they wished they had learned about it sooner."

A survey revealed that over 40% of married men and women have no one to talk to about their fertility treatment plans. Of these, only about 4% consult their superiors or colleagues at work, suggesting that many feel it's difficult to gain understanding for fertility treatment in the workplace.

Among married men and women, there has been an increasing trend in the implementation rate of so-called preconception care, such as "discussing life plans with one's partner," "paying attention to one's partner's health," and "reducing smoking." On the other hand, awareness of preconception care remains at only about 20% among married men and women.

Satisfaction levels among men and women who have tried to conceive, as well as the rate of couples trying to conceive together, have improved significantly since last year, with this trend being particularly pronounced among men. It appears that the increase in "men trying to conceive" who are considerate of their partners and take proactive steps, such as having a shared understanding of their desire for children and how to proceed, and reviewing each other's lifestyles, is driving this overall improvement.