Asian ethnicity is associated with reduced pregnancy outcomes after assisted reproductive technology.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether success rates were similar in Asian and Caucasian women undergoing infertility treatment.


METHODS
Secondary data analysis and multivariate modeling.


METHODS
Clinics reporting to the national Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology registry and a university-based clinic.


METHODS
Caucasian and self-identified Asian infertile women undergoing IVF. The study included 25,843 Caucasian and 1,429 Asian patients from the national registry; 370 Caucasian and 197 Asian patients were included from the site-specific clinic.


METHODS
In vitro fertilization.


METHODS
Pregnancy rate and live-birth rate.


RESULTS
Infertile Asian women differed only minimally from their Caucasian counterparts in baseline characteristics and treatment response. Yet Asian women had a decreased clinical pregnancy rate (odds ratio, 0.71; 95% confidence interval 0.64-0.80) and a decreased live-birth rate (odds ratio, 0.69; 95% confidence interval 0.61-0.77). Subsequent multivariate analysis demonstrated that Asian ethnicity was an independent predictor of poor outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
After treatment, infertile Asian women have significantly fewer pregnancies than do Caucasian women. Multivariate analysis indicates that this discrepancy cannot be accounted for by differences in baseline characteristics or by response to current therapeutic interventions.
Purcell
Karen
K
Fertility Physicians of Northern California, San Jose, California, USA. cjpurcell@pol.net <cjpurcell@pol.net>
Schembri
Michael
M
Frazier
Linda M
LM
Rall
Martha J
MJ
Shen
Shehua
S
Croughan
Mary
M
Grainger
David A
DA
Fujimoto
Victor Y
VY
D000328:Adult; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002140:California / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000208:ethnology*; D018873:Pregnancy Rate / Q000208:ethnology*; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*