Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to and Outcomes of Infertility Treatment and Assisted Reproductive Technology in the United States

Racial and ethnic disparities in infertility treatment and ART have been and continue to be conspicuously present. Numerous robust studies reveal significantly less favorable CP rates, LB rates with greater pregnancy loss, fetal growth restriction, and preterm birth rates among Black, Asian, and Hispanic women following IVF. However, several limitations are notable in the data. Large national databases, such as SART CORS, have approximately 35% of cycles of unknown race and ethnicity, qualifying the conclusions that may be surmised from such studies.75 Other considerations include the imperfect methodological features of the cited survey studies, which can be subjected to response and recall bias.To address such disparities and attain equity and equality in the desired family building, greater efforts will need to continue to be made to recognize and challenge racial and ethnic disparities. Efforts should be multipronged and systematic, aimed at eliminating discriminatory practices in reproductive medicine, delivering accurate, un-biased, culturally sensitive reproductive education, optimizing access to and quality of preventative reproductive care, addressing the comorbidities of women of color, des-tigmatizing infertility, and achieving timely access to infertility care for all. To identify other spaces where efforts should be focused, future studies could consider account-ing for confounding social factors such as socioeconomic and insurance status, as well as exploring the partner's attitude, which may contribute to disparities.