Racial and economic demographics of couples seeking infertility treatment.
OBJECTIVE
We characterized new infertility patients on the basis of race and economic factors.


METHODS
A retrospective chart review was performed of all patients seeking infertility evaluation from 1998 to 1999 at two infertility centers in Cincinnati, Ohio. Patients were categorized by race (white, black, or other). Statistics were analyzed by chi2 and logistic regression.


RESULTS
Of 756 patients, 85.2% were white, 10.2% were black, and 4.4% were other. Infertility diagnoses were placed into the following 7 categories: ovarian, salpingitis, surgical sterilization, male factor, endometriosis, unexplained, and other. Black women had significantly more salpingitis than did nonblack women (P <.001) regardless of insurance status. However, surgical sterilization was more prevalent in patients without insurance regardless of race (P <.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings are consistent with previous studies showing that black women have more risk factors for salpingitis. Surgical sterilization risk factors were concordant with those of the National Center for Health Statistics.
Green
J A
JA
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Ohio 45267-0526, USA.
Robins
J C
JC
Scheiber
M
M
Awadalla
S
S
Thomas
M A
MA
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007246:Infertility / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D009820:Ohio; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012488:Salpingitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*