CHASING INFERTILITY - THE CHAT BOT-WAY TO INCREASE FERTILITY AWARENESS.

The impact of lifestyle choices on fertility gained a lot of interest within the last years, due to ever increasing numbers of couples suffering from infertility. Hence, a new way to educate people about their fertility status is required. Using a chat bot system (Fertibot) this study aimed to investigate the fertility awareness of participants depending on their lifestyle. A questionnaire-based investigation conceptualized by reproductive medicine specialists was designed. The chat bot system was placed on a website for couples trying to conceive. The questions were administered in German language. Based on different criteria (age, height, weight, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome PCO, etc.) and questions about, smoking, drinking alcohol, doing sports, diseases and duration of infertility, the awareness of infertility was evaluated. If the algorithm stated constrained fertility, the system advised people to seek professional help. Results were divided into participants with a healthy lifestyle (non-smoking, non-drinking, and a frequent physical activity) and unhealthy lifestyle (smoking, alcohol abuse and no physical activity). “Normal” participants were defined as a combination of healthy and unhealthy lifestyle (e.g., smoking but no alcohol abuse and frequent exercise). All data were collected anonymously without the possibility of tracing back. 823 female participants took the FertiBot test. Data revealed a healthy lifestyle in 97 (11.8%), an unhealthy lifestyle in 76 (9.2%) and a normal lifestyle in 650 (80%) cases. Participants living a healthy lifestyle tended to seek professional help earlier compared to participants with an unhealthy lifestyle (44.7 % vs. 57.7%). Healthy women had a higher knowledge about their endometriosis (94%) and PCO status (87%) in comparison to women with an unhealthy lifestyle (86% versus 77%). In general, the awareness about endometriosis was higher than about PCO. Interestingly, the awareness about infertility related diseases increased with the degree of healthy lifestyle. The highest knowledge gap between endometriosis and PCO was discovered in the group of nonathletic participants (n=257; 91% vs. 76%). In conclusion we were able to demonstrate that fertility awareness is correlated to a healthy lifestyle. However, an increased consciousness for infertility related diseases and the impact of a healthy lifestyle is needed for the vast majority. It is tempting to speculate that a modern chat bot system may be beneficial in the future to increase knowledge about fertility and to assist in proposing professional help if necessary.