Does Race Really Impact Fertility Treatment Success?

When a single research study looks at tens of thousands of ART procedures, the conclusions can be quite meaningful. Such a study received attention by Reuters this week with the headline "Weight, race tied to fertility treatment success".

Besides bolstering what we already know about weight and fertility, the study published in Fertility and Sterility determined that both failure to achieve a pregnancy and failure to achieve live birth are significantly more likely among non-white ethnicities. This finding was in light of adjusting for body mass index (BMI).

Unfortunately, since limited data was available to the researchers, their final conclusion about the difference in treatment success between white women (the reference group, having accounted for nearly 25,000 of the total 31,672 transfers researched) and black, Hispanic, or Asian women is that more studies are needed to discern reasons: "Future research should focus on clarifying the underlying causes of these disparities."

Having provided fertility care for over a decade now in a very ethnically diverse metropolitan area, here are my thoughts on possible connections between race and fertility treatment success numbers:

First, we know from past research that people from certain communities are not accessing fertility care as often as other groups. Financial reasons may seem to top the list, but the truth is that for some groups, there exist tremendous taboos against infertility treatment. Another related reason -- especially for Hispanic or Asian couples -- is language barrier.

That's one of the reasons Houston Fertility Center is hosting free Spanish-language educational opportunities -- to remove the language barrier as an obstacle to seeking fertility care. We hope, too, that our culturally diverse staff will be able to help curious couples feel comfortable enough to ask questions and find out about their family-building options.

Trying to determine what affects success rates based on ethnicity is not as simple as it may seem on the surface. For example, if the study did not include a breakdown based on how many patients used donor egg or not, we might see their results as skewed. That's because donor egg use is highly likely in older, white mothers-to-be and has an impact on success rate numbers.

I applaud researchers who undertake large-scale studies, and I look forward to future findings that can assist medical professionals like myself in our mission to truly make the finest fertility care accessible. In the meantime, the Houston Fertility Center staff and I will continue to reach out beyond our clinic doors to extend family-building services to all.

Los tratamientos de fertilidad: No hay ninguna razón que el idioma sea una barrera

Desde la fundación, de Houston de 1836, el ambiente y cultura ha sido enriquecido una variedad de etnias y nacionalidades.

He estado al servicio de los tratamientos de fertilidad necesidades de otros países por muchos años. Ahora, el personal del Centro de Fertilidad de Houston se enorgullece de ofrecer jornadas de puertas abiertas para la gente que quisiera hablar sobre las opciones de creación de la familia en español.

Hemos estado conceintes que huestros pacientes que solo hablan y entienden espanol experiementantan una mayor sensación de aislamiento cuando se trata de la búsqueda de atención médica especializada. HFC siempre ha mantenido personal bilingüe para que nuestros pacientes de la fertilidad puedan ser plenamente informados a los participantes e interactivo en su tratamiento.

A partir de febrero, el Centro de Fertilidad de Houston tendra jornadas de puertas abiertas en nuestra ubicación 9055 Katy Freeway. Individuos y las parejas pueden hablar con nuestro personal sobre los problemas de fertilidad común, ¿cómo se hacen diagnósticos y opciones de tratamiento. Nota que no Habra una evaluacion especifica para cada paciente. Sino que contestaremos preguntas de una manera general. Con el fin de preservar un ambiente cómodo, cada jornada de puertas habiertas sera limitado a sao cinco parejas, de modo RSVP son necesarias. Se servirán refrescos.

Por favor llame al 713-862-6181 para más información y para confirmar su asistencia. La siguiente jornada de puertas habiertas sera el 15 de Febrero, a la 1:30 a 2:30 de la tarde.

No hay ninguna razón que el idioma sea una barrera en obtener atención de alta calidad de la fertilidad. Espero la oportunidad de continuar serviendo los habitantes de Houston en sus tratamientos de fertilidad.

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Fertility treatment: There is no reason for language to be a barrier

Since its founding in 1836, Houston's culture and ambience has been richly flavored by an incredible variety of ethnicities and nationalities.

I've been serving the fertility treatment needs of families from other countries for many years. Now, the staff of Houston Fertility Center is proud to offer regularly held open houses for people who'd like to talk about family-building options in Spanish.

We've known for a long time that our Spanish-speaking patients can experience a greater sense of isolation when it comes to seeking specialized medical care. HFC has always maintained bilingual staff so that our fertility patients can be fully informed, interactive participants in their treatment.

Beginning in February, Houston Fertility Center will host free open houses at our 9055 Katy Freeway location. Indiviuals and couples can talk with our staff about common fertility problems, how diagnoses are made, and treatment options. We should note that evaluations of patients' specific cases will not be discussed at the open house, but we'll be happy to answer questions in a general manner. In order to preserve a comfortable setting, we'll be limiting each open house to only five couples, so RSVP's are necessary. Refreshments will be served.

The next Spanish-language open house will be on Tuesday, February 15, from 1:30 to 2:30 PM. Please call 713-862-6181 for more information and to RSVP.

There is no reason for language to be a barrier to accessing high quality fertility care. I look forward to continuing opportunities to serving the fertility treatment needs of all Houstonians.