Infertility and Pregnancy Loss in Doctoral Education: Understanding Students’ Experiences

Women enter doctoral programs at higher numbers than ever before, earning half the doctoral degrees in the United States. Some women doctoral students experience pregnancy and parenthood during their studies. As infertility and pregnancy loss are common occurrences, likely many women doctoral students encountered these reproductive challenges as well. This research study (N = 328) explores the experiences of women doctoral students who experience infertility, fertility treatment, and pregnancy loss. Participants described the influence of these experiences on their doctoral education, productivity, and professional development, the institutional resources available to support them, and the gaps in supports. Women who accessed fertility treatment reported more of an impact on productivity and more desired institutional supports than those who experienced infertility without treatment or pregnancy loss. The implications of these findings are discussed, including the use of the mentoring relationship to support women doctoral students, the role of grief, and the creation of formal institutional policies that explicitly address these types of circumstances, allowing for accommodations such as flexibility and class absences.