Racial disparity in oocyte donation outcome: a multiethnic, matched cohort study

Race and ethnicity are one of the newly investigated patient-related prognostic factors that might affect the outcome of assisted reproduction techniques. To our knowledge no data currently are available on the effect of race on oocyte donation outcome.

A retrospective, matched cohort study was performed in a private infertility centre evaluating 1012 Black, South-East Asian and Caucasian recipients undergoing their first oocyte donation cycles.

A significantly lower ongoing pregnancy rate (24.6 versus 36.8%, OR: 0.56 95% CI: 0.40-0.77, P = 0.01) was observed among Black recipients compared with their matched Caucasian counterparts. The prevalence of uterine fibroids (49.6 versus 17.1%, P < 0.0001) and previous history of tubal infertility (53.2 versus 16.5%, P < 0.0001) was significantly higher among Black women. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for confounding variables, Black race was an independent risk factor for not achieving an ongoing pregnancy (for ongoing pregnancy, adjusted OR: 0.62 95% CI: 0.43-0.89, P = 0.009). Ongoing pregnancy rate (37.2 versus 37.2%, OR: 1.0 95% CI: 0.49-2.04, P = 1.0) was not significantly different between South-East Asian and matched Caucasian patients.

Black race was an independent risk factor for not achieving an ongoing pregnancy after oocyte donation. Although yellow race does not seem to adversely affect oocyte donation, larger studies are still warranted to draw more solid conclusions. Race should be considered as an independent prognostic factor in oocyte donation.