Racial disparities in frozen embryo transfer success

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Infertility Treatment
• Ethnicity and Health Outcomes

Background:

• Frozen embryo transfer (FET) is a key component of assisted reproductive technology.
• Understanding racial disparities in FET outcomes is crucial for equitable patient care.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated race-specific outcomes following FET.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare pregnancy and birth outcomes after FET across White, Black, and Asian women.
• To assess the impact of patient, protocol, and cycle characteristics on FET success rates.
• To identify potential disparities in fertility treatment outcomes based on race.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of autologous FET cycles at an academic fertility center.
• Data collected from January 2013 to March 2020.
• Statistical analysis including adjusted odds ratios (AOR) to compare outcomes between racial groups.

Main Results:

• Black women had significantly lower rates of positive hCG, clinical pregnancy, and live birth compared to White women (AORs 0.66, 0.71, and 0.65, respectively).
• No significant differences in outcomes were observed between Asian and White women.
• Live birth rates varied significantly among White, Black, and Asian women undergoing natural cycle FET (52.36%, 25.81%, 44.19%, p=0.02), but not with programmed FET.

Conclusions:

• Black race is independently associated with poorer pregnancy and live birth rates post-FET.
• Significant racial disparities in live birth rates exist, particularly with natural cycle FET.
• Addressing these disparities is vital for patient counseling and developing strategies to improve fertility success for minority populations.