Components of women's health literacy associated with pregnancy at the wanted time and the use of infertility treatment among Japanese workers.

This study aimed to explore women's health literacy components related to planned pregnancy and infertility treatment use. A nationwide internet survey was conducted in February 2018 among 2,596 Japanese female full-time workers aged 18-49. Of these, 1,262 women who had desired pregnancy were analyzed. Data included a health literacy scale, pregnancy timing, and infertility treatment access. Logistic regression analysis examined the associations. As the results, the high health literacy group was significantly associated with both achieving pregnancy at the desired time (odds ratio [OR]: 1.87) and accessing infertility treatment (OR: 1.78). Specifically, the subscale "knowledge about the female body" was significantly related to achieving pregnancy at the wanted time (OR: 1.91), and "sexual health discussion with partners" was associated with access to infertility treatment (OR: 2.79) (p<0.05). These findings suggest that improving female body knowledge and partner communication are key for reproductive health education and preconception care.