Determinants of Fertility and Childbearing: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: Fertility and childbearing are essential for the stability and strength of any society. Fertility reduction causes serious damage to the dynamics and development of a society. The present study aimed at identifying the determinants of fertility and child bearing. Methods: This study was conducted as a scoping review by searching the keywords “childbearing” and “fertility” in English databases such as Web-of-Science, Scopus, and PubMed and Persian databases such as the Magiran, SID, and Irandoc without time limit. Information related to "fertility and childbearing determinants" was reported in the data extraction table. Data management was done with Excel software. Findings: A review of 87 studies showed that various factors affected fertility and childbearing, including social factors (social status), economic factors (economic status and costs), sociological factors (norms, values, and development), demographic factors (marriage age, family size, and number of children), background factors (age, education, and occupation of the couple), family factors (couple relationships and family relationships), psychological factors (emotional issues and marital satisfaction), and health-related factors such as family planning programs, physical health, and health behaviors. Conclusion: The studied factors alone were not clear explanations for childbearing behavior. Therefore, independent and case studies of individual factors are not sufficient to achieve effective results, and for planning and developing guidelines, it is necessary for the set of factors to be evaluated and planned in an integrated manner. © 2026, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.