Arab Americans, African Americans, and infertility: barriers to reproduction and medical care.
OBJECTIVE
To compare barriers to infertility care among African Americans and Arab Americans.


METHODS
Qualitative study using semi-structured reproductive histories and open-ended ethnographic interviews.


METHODS
Infertile volunteers in a private IVF clinic in Dearborn, Michigan, an Arab American ethnic enclave community in metropolitan Detroit.


METHODS
Arab American men presenting for infertility diagnosis and treatment, including assisted reproductive technologies.


METHODS
None.


METHODS
Perceived barriers to effective infertility care.


RESULTS
Arab Americans and African Americans living in metropolitan Detroit are at increased risk of infertility and share similar histories of poverty, racism, and cultural barriers to medical treatment. This study, which focused on infertile Arab American men living in or near Dearborn (an ethnic enclave community composed mainly of recent immigrants and war refugees), revealed significant barriers to effective infertility care, including economic constraints, linguistic and cultural barriers, and social marginalization in mainstream U.S. society, particularly after September 11, 2001.


CONCLUSIONS
Arab Americans experience disparities in access to infertility care, largely because of poverty and social marginalization in post-September 11th America.
Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2029, USA. minhorn@umich.edu
Marcia C
MC
Inhorn
Michael Hassan
MH
Fakih
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology*; D018912:Arabs / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan / Q000208:ethnology; D012098:Reproduction; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000191:economics