title: Racial and ethnic disparities in reproductive endocrinology and infertility.
abstract: This review examines racial and ethnic disparities in reproductive health focusing on 3 key topical areas: (1) infertility, (2) polycystic ovarian syndrome, and (3) reproductive aging. We report that an increasing body of knowledge points toward reduced infertility access and in vitro fertilization outcomes in Asian, black, and Hispanic women compared with white women. There are differences in the reproductive and metabolic phenotypes of Asian, black, and Hispanic women presenting with the polycystic ovarian syndrome compared with white women. Reproductive aging differences appear to exist in all racial and ethnic groups. Awareness of racial and ethnic disparities is critical to a complete understanding of the health issues facing women of reproductive age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94115-0916, USA. huddlestonh@obgyn.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Heather G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Huddleston
authors.forename: Marcelle I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Cedars
authors.forename: Sae H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Linda C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Giudice
authors.forename: Victor Y
authors.initials: VY
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D008593:Menopause / Q000208:ethnology; D010641:Phenotype; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D015995:Prevalence; D016896:Treatment Outcome