Seeking medical help for subfecundity: a study based upon surveys in five European countries

To study care-seeking behavior for infertility treatment in different European countries.

Multicenter surveys of randomly selected women in the child bearing age.

Five countries participated in the study: Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain. Data were collected from 1991 to 1993 as part of a concerted action.

Population-based samples of women 25 to 44 years of age. The sample sizes ranged from 442 women in Poland to 2,729 in Italy. Participation rates ranged from 54% in Germany to 87% in Denmark. Data were collected by means of a highly structured questionnaire used at a face-to-face interview.

Waiting time to pregnancy, time, and type of treatment for infertility.

Less than half of the infertile couples seek medical help in most European countries. The lowest proportion seeking help was found in Poland and the highest in Denmark.

The increasing demand for infertility treatment is expected to continue, because the potential unmet need is outspoken in most European countries.