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BACKGROUND: Postponing childbirth is becoming increasingly common in Western countries, especially among groups with higher education qualifications. It is relatively unknown to what extent women and men are aware of the age-related decline in female fertility. The aim was to investigate university students’ intentions and attitudes to future parenthood and their awareness regarding female fertility. METHODS: Postal survey of a randomly selected sample of 222 female (74% response) and 179 male (60% response) university students. RESULTS: Female and male university students in Sweden have largely positive attitudes towards parenthood and want to have children. Women, in comparison to men, were significantly more concerned about problems related to combining work and children. Both women and men had overly optimistic perceptions of women’s chances of becoming pregnant. About half …