Socioeconomic and Racial/Ethnic Inequalities in Infertility Prevalence, Help-Seeking, and Help Received Since 1995.

BACKGROUND: In the United States, infertility and treatment for infertility are marked by racial/ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities. Simultaneously, biomedical advances and increased public health attention toward preventing and addressing infertility have grown. It is not known, however, whether the racial/ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities observed in infertility prevalence, help-seeking, or help received have changed over time. METHODS: Using National Survey of Family Growth data (1995 through 2017-2019 cycles), this study applied multivariable logistic regression with interaction terms to investigate whether and how racial/ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities in 1) the prevalence of infertility, 2) ever seeking help to become pregnant, and 3) use of common types of medical help (advice, testing, medication for ovulation, surgery for blocked tubes, and artificial insemination) have changed over time. RESULTS: The results showed persisting, rather than narrowing or increasing, inequalities in the prevalence of infertility and help-seeking overall. The results showed persisting racial/ethnic inequalities in testing, ovulation medication use, and surgery for blocked tubes. By contrast, the results showed widening socioeconomic inequalities in testing and narrowing inequalities in the use of ovulation medications. CONCLUSIONS: There is little evidence to suggest policy interventions, biomedical advances, or increased public health awareness has narrowed inequalities in infertility prevalence, treatment seeking, or use of specific treatments.

A review of disparities in access to infertility care and treatment outcomes among Hispanic women.

Hispanic women have lower rates of use of infertility services than non-Hispanic White women. There are many barriers that impede access to infertility care including economic, geographic, cultural, and societal factors and there are disparities in treatment outcomes. Hispanic women are less likely to seek infertility care than non-Hispanic White women and even after infertility evaluation, Hispanic women are less likely to receive treatment for their infertility. Lower use of infertility treatments among Hispanic women is unlikely to be driven solely by economic factors. There is disappointingly little data on in-vitro fertilization treatment outcomes including the population of Hispanic women, and existing data has yielded conflicting results. Incomplete and variable reporting of race data across clinics raises the potential for misclassification bias and invalid study conclusions. Addressing disparities in access to reproductive medicine in the Hispanic population will required a multifaceted approach including expanded insurance coverage, improved education for both patients and providers, and additional research on barriers to care.

Black race associated with lower live birth rate in frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles: an analysis of 7,002 Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if racial/ethnic differences in pregnancy outcomes persisted in frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles on a national level. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Clinic-based data. PATIENT(S): A total of 189,000 Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology FET cycles from 2014-2016 were screened, of which 12,000 cycles had available fresh cycle linkage information and ultimately, because of missing data, 7,002 FET cycles were included. Cycles were stratified by race (White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic). INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The primary outcome was live birth rate. Secondary outcomes were implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, multiple pregnancy rate, and clinical loss rate (CLR). RESULT(S): Live birth rate was significantly lower in the Black vs. White and Asian, but not Hispanic group. Implantation rate was also significantly lower and CLR higher in the Black group compared with all other groups (all P<.01). Black women had a lower risk of live birth (adjusted risk ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73-0.92) and a higher risk of clinical loss (adjusted risk ratio, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.28-1.99) compared with White women. There was no significant difference between groups in clinical pregnancy rate or multiple pregnancy rate. When the analysis was limited to preimplantation genetic testing FET cycles, there remained a significantly lower implantation rate in the Black group compared with all other groups (all P<.01). CONCLUSION(S): Black race remains an independent predictor of reduced live birth rate in FET cycles, likely because of higher CLR.

The African American experience in reproductive medicine: provider, patient, and pipeline perspectives.

The goal of this Views and Reviews is to let colleagues and leaders well versed in the African American experience in reproductive medicine address the problems of racism affecting our trainees and patients and, more significantly, propose solutions. The areas in reproductive medicine that will be explored from the African American perspective include the pipeline of providers, health disparities, and access to infertility treatment.

Health disparities of African Americans in reproductive medicine.

The first paper describing an association between African American race, infertility prevalence, and outcomes of fertility treatments was published more than 20 years ago, calling initial attention to differences in how infertility is experienced, diagnosed, and managed in African Americans. Since that initial publication, multiple other studies have explored African American race and its association with elements of the fertility spectrum-disparities that have been durable over time. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of the evolution of aspects of this research focusing on the outcomes of infertility treatments and barriers to access. A consideration of the system-based practice issues that interface with timely fertility evaluation and treatment in ways that challenge reproductive health equity will be presented.

Disparities in access to effective treatment for infertility in the United States: an Ethics Committee opinion.

In the United States, economic, racial, ethnic, geographic, and other disparities prevent access to fertility treatment and affect treatment outcomes. This opinion examines the factors that contribute to these disparities, proposes actions to address them, and replaces the document of the same name, last published in 2015.

Influence Factors of Sexual Intercourse Frequency in Infertile Couples without Sexual Dysfunction in Southwest China: A Retrospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the sexual intercourse frequency (SIF) of infertile couples without sexual dysfunction and analyze its related influencing factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of a total number of 4,923 infertile couples without sexual dysfunction who received treatment in our assisted reproductive center from October 2016 to October 2018. Both partners of couples were inquired about their information of demographic statistics, occupations, lifestyles, education backgrounds, psychological characteristics, and testostrone levels of male patients. The multivariable linear regression analysis was applied to evaluate the influence of various variables on SIF. RESULTS: The median (interquartile range) SIF of infertile couples without sexual dysfunction was 7 (6.5-8) times per month. Lower academic qualification and younger age were predictive of increased SIF in both partners. The SIF of Chinese Han women and Chinese Zang women is higher than that of other ethnic groups. Men with lower testosterone (<10 nmol/L) were associated with lower SIF. The BMI, occupation, alcohol consumption, races of both partners of couples, and smoking status of males were not associated with SIF. Multivariable linear regression analysis indicated that only the age and the education level of men played an important role in SIF, and educational level of men had the greatest impact, followed by men's age. CONCLUSION: In our study, we analyzed demographics data, occupational characteristics, and lifestyle behaviors of both partners, as well as men's testosterone levels; we also reported the related SIF. According to our research, men's education level was the most important factor in predicting SIF, followed by men's age. Testosterone levels of men do not appear to play a substantial role in predicting SIF in infertile couples.

Infertility in the Midwest: perceptions and attitudes of current treatment.

BACKGROUND: Although infertility affects an estimated 6.1 million individuals in the United States, only half of those individuals seek fertility treatment and the majority of those patients are White and of high socioeconomic status. Research has shown that insurance mandates are not enough to ensure equal access. Many workplaces, schools, and medical education programs have made efforts in recent years to improve the cultural humility of providers in efforts to engage more racially and economically underrepresented groups in medical care. However, these efforts have not been assessed on a population of patients receiving fertility care, an experience that is uniquely shaped by individual social, cultural, and economic factors. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to better understand the racial, cultural, economic, and religious factors that impact patient experiences obtaining fertility care. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional self-administered survey was administered at an academic fertility center in Chicago, Illinois. Of 5000 consecutive fertility care patients, 1460 completed the survey and were included in the study sample. No interventions were used. Descriptive univariate frequencies and percentages were calculated to summarize sociodemographic and other relevant patient characteristics (eg, race or ethnicity, age, household income, religious affiliation, insurance coverage). Rates of endorsing perceived physician cultural competency were compared among demographic subgroups using Pearson chi-squared tests with 2-sided P<.05 indicative of statistical significance. To identify the key determinants of patient-reported worry regarding 9 different fertility treatment outcomes and related concerns, a series of multiple logistic regression models were fit to examine factors associated with patient report of being "very worried" or "extremely worried." RESULTS: Members of our sample (N=1460) were between 20 and 58 years of age (meanadjusted, 36.2; standard deviation, 4.4). Among Black participants, 42.3% reported that their physician does not understand their cultural background compared with 16.5% of White participants (P<.0001). Participants who identified as Latinx were significantly more likely than White participants to report being very/extremely worried about side effects of treatment, a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancies, and birth defects (P<.05, P=.02, P=.002, P=.001, respectively). Individuals who identify as Hindu were nearly 4 times more likely to report being very/extremely worried about experiencing an ectopic pregnancy than nonreligious participants (P<.0002). Respondents most strongly identified the biology or physiology of the couple (meanadjusted, 21.6; confidence interval, 20.4-22.7) and timing or age (meanadjusted, 27.8; confidence interval, 26.5-29.1) as being associated with fertility. Overall, respondents most strongly disagreed that the ability to bear children rests upon God's will (meanadjusted, 65.4; confidence interval, 63.7-67.1), which differed most significantly by race (P<.0001) and religion (P<.0001). CONCLUSION: Of the patient characteristics investigated, racial and ethnic subgroups showed the greatest degree of variation in regard to worries and concerns surrounding the experience of fertility treatment. Our findings emphasize a need for improved cultural humility on behalf of physicians, in addition to affordable psychological support for all patients seeking fertility care.

Reproductive Health Disparities in the USA: Self-Reported Race/Ethnicity Predicts Age of Menarche and Live Birth Ratios, but Not Infertility.

Self-identified race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) contribute to disparities in several health domains, although research on their effects on women's reproductive function has largely focused on links between SES and age of menarche. Here, we assessed whether race/ethnicity, SES, and downstream correlates of SES such as food security and health-insurance security are associated with age of menarche, infertility, and live birth ratios (ratios of recognized pregnancies resulting in live births) in the USA. We used cross-sectional data from 1694 women aged 12-18 years for menarche (2007-2016), 974 women aged 23-45 for infertility (2013-2016), and 1714 women aged 23-45 for live birth ratios (2007-2016) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We estimated multiple linear and logistic regressions with survey weights to test these associations. When controlling for lifestyle (activity levels, smoking, alcohol consumption) and physiological factors (diabetes, weight status), non-Hispanic (NH) black and Hispanic girls reported a significantly lower age of menarche by about 4.3 (standard error [SE] = 0.08, p < 0.001), and 3.2 months (SE = 0.09, p < 0.001), respectively, relative to NH white girls. NH black women reported live birth ratios 9% (SE = 0.02, p < 0.001) lower than NH white women. Women with unstable health insurance reported live birth ratios 6% (SE = 0.02, p = 0.02) lower than women with stable health insurance. Race/ethnicity, SES, and its downstream correlates were not associated with infertility. One hypothesized explanation for observed disparities in age of menarche and live birth ratios is the embodiment of discrimination faced by NH black women within the USA. Our findings also underscore the importance of health insurance access for favorable reproductive health outcomes. Future work should elucidate the role of embodied discrimination and other downstream correlates of SES in modulating women's reproductive health outcomes to inform strategies to mitigate health disparities.

Status of racial disparities between black and white women undergoing assisted reproductive technology in the US.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated substantial differences in assisted reproductive technology outcomes between black non-Hispanic and white non-Hispanic women. We sought to determine if disparities in assisted reproductive technology outcomes between cycles from black non-Hispanic and white non-Hispanic women have changed and to identify factors that may have influenced change and determine racial differences in cumulative live birth rates. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of the SARTCORS database outcomes for 2014-2016 compared with those previously reported in 2004-2006 and 1999/2000. Patient demographics, etiology of infertility, and cycle outcomes were compared between black non-hispanic and white non-hispanic patients. Categorical values were compared using Chi-squared testing. Continuous variables were compared using t-test. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess confounders. RESULTS: We analyzed 122,721 autologous, fresh, non-donor embryo cycles from 2014 to 2016 of which 13,717 cycles from black and 109,004 cycles from white women. The proportion of cycles from black women increased from 6.5 to 8.4%. Cycles from black women were almost 3 times more likely to have tubal and/or uterine factor and body mass index ≥30 kg/m2. Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that black women had a lower live birth rate (OR 0.71;P < 0.001) and a lower cumulative live birth rate for their initial cycle (OR 0.64; P < 0.001) independent of age, parity, body mass index, etiology of infertility, ovarian reserve, cycle cancellation, past spontaneous abortions, use of intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection or number of embryos transferred. A lower proportion of cycles in black women were represented among non-mandated states (P < 0.001) and cycles in black women were associated with higher clinical live birth rates in mandated states (P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Disparities in assisted reproductive technology outcomes in the US have persisted for black women over the last 15 years. Limited access to state mandated insurance may be contributory. Race has continued to be an independent prognostic factor for live birth and cumulative live birth rate from assisted reproductive technology in the US.

Provision of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: Limited engagement in an online survey of Medical Directors of ART services.

Current knowledge about infertility and access to infertility treatment among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is extremely limited. We conducted an online survey of Medical Directors of registered ART providers in Australia (n = 59) to obtain preliminary information on this topic. Six (10%) Directors responded; only two reported routinely collecting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status of clients. While the low response rate prevents generalising the findings, the poor engagement may indicate gaps in awareness of fertility issues for this group. This warrants further investigation, to understand whether Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are appropriately accessing infertility care.

What can be learned from the Chinese experience in response to infertility.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to reviews the history of China's population policy since 2011, and draw lessons from the Chinese experience in response to infertility. METHODS: Data from the Chinese infertility status survey report (2009) and national statistical yearbooks (2009-2019) are used to assess the severity of infertility and reproductive centers shortage in China. Lessons from China was informed by a review of existing literature. RESULTS: The proportion of couples suffering from infertility in China increased to 12.5% (166.8 million in 2009) from just 6.89% (86.6 million in 1988) two decades earlier, while the number of reproductive centers was one for every 3.1 million citizens. The total costs per live birth for medically assisted reproduction in Chinese public fertility clinics was 30,000 yuan in 2012. Among infertile couples, unemployed patients accounted for the largest proportion (21.9% in 2014). Currently in China, health regulations permit oocyte donation only from infertility patients who have 20 or more mature oocytes, of which at least 15 must be kept for their own treatment. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to integrate the reproductive health care of infertile people into the national public health service. In addition to relieving their economic burden, national policies should guide and support enterprises to guarantee employee medical leave for infertility. Growing numbers of bereaved older women who have lost their only child make it imperative to reconsider liberalizing the regulation of oocyte donation in China.

Iranian model of decision making to use surrogacy: A grounded theory Study.

Identifying the process of making the decision to use a surrogate mother can create a broad knowledge of this concept. In this grounded theory study, participants were selected through snowball sampling method and obtaining an informed consent, in-depth interviews were conducted face to face and recorded. Then, all the interviews, field notes, and memos were analyzed using Strauss-Corbin 1998 method. Analysis of the statements of the participants boiled down to 487 initial codes, 311 codes, 14 subcategories, and six categories. In the conceptual model of this process, "the hope to have a child" was an influential concept that interacted with other concepts.

The experience of being an in vitro fertilization (IVF) patient in a pro-natalist society - a form of emotional labor.

Israel is known as a highly pronatalist society. We conceptualize the pro-natalist state as the employer of in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients in the labor of procreation. We characterize the unique Israeli religio-cultural environment regarding infertility using the concepts of emotional labor, surface acting, deep acting, emotional dissonance, and burnout. One hundred and forty-two women and 62 men undergoing IVF in eight public IVF units were asked to describe their emotions on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). We discuss the patients' emotional responses in light of the religio-cultural and the emotional labor context. Evidence was found for gender differences whereby women suffer more negative emotional outcomes than male partners of IVF patients. The pro-natalist state poses greater emotional stress for female IVF patients in comparison with that experienced by the male spouses of IVF patients. Consulting professionals should offer psycho-social care if necessary, focusing on strategies taken from emotional labor theory.

Assisted reproductive technology use in the United States: a population assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To study social and demographic differentiation of assisted reproduction technology (ART) use at the population level in the United States. DESIGN: Population-based study. SETTING: Not applicable. PATIENT(S): Women 15-49 years old in the American Community Survey and National Vital Statistics Birth Certificate data from 2010-2017. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Birth rate after ART by major sociodemographic categories and likelihood of having an ART birth. RESULT(S): Net of education, age, period, and marital status, the incidence rates of ART births are lower for black women (0.57 times; 95% CI, 0.52-0.62) and Hispanic women (0.67 times; 95% CI, 0.57-0.62) relative to white women's rates; for Asian women, the incidence rates are 1.21 times that of white women's rates. Further, the incidence rates of ART births are higher for women with more than a 4-year degree (2.08 times; 95% CI, 1.90-2.27) relative to women with a 4-year degree, and are lower for women with less education. Women who are married have an incidence rate of ART that is 5.72 times (95% CI, 5.37-6.09) that of unmarried women. The incidence rates for 2013-2016 are statistically significantly higher than for 2010 by a factor of 1.16 (95% CI, 1.02-1.31), 1.16 (95% CI, 1.03-1.31), 1.27 (95% CI, 1.12-1.43), and 1.51 (95% CI, 1.43-1.82), respectively. The educational differences in ART exist across all age groups from 20 to 49, but are the largest among the 35-39 and 40-44 age groups. CONCLUSION(S): Large differences in the risk of an ART birth and the proportion of births and the total fertility rate due to ART exist across period, age, race, education, and marital status groups in the United States. Current measures of ART births may disguise an unmet need for ART.

Could ethnicity have a different effect on fresh and frozen embryo transfer outcomes: a retrospective study.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Does a woman's ethnicity affect her fresh and frozen embryo transfer outcomes differently? DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study of the first fresh and first frozen embryo transfer per woman carried out at a single tertiary level fertility unit between 2010 and 2016 using data retrieved from an electronic database. Biochemical pregnancy, biochemical pregnancy loss, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage and live birth rates per embryo transfer were compared between 5876 white Caucasian, 1071 South Asian and 114 Black Afro-Caribbean women undergoing their first fresh embryo transfer and for 1418 Caucasian, 273 South Asian and 31 Afro-Caribbean women undergoing their first frozen embryo transfer. Logistic regression was used to adjust for age, number of oocytes retrieved, and number and stage of embryos transferred. RESULTS: South Asian (26% versus 32%, adjusted OR 0.622, 95% CI 0.533 to 0.725) and Black Afro-Caribbean women (21% versus 32%, adjusted OR 0.528, 95% CI 0.332 to 0.839) had a lower live birth rate per fresh embryo transfer compared with white Caucasian women. In contrast, the live birth rates per frozen embryo transfer were not significantly different between South Asian and Caucasian women (26% versus 28%, adjusted OR 0.890, 95% CI 0.661 to 1.200) and between Afro-Caribbean and Caucasian women (29% versus 28%, adjusted OR 0.983, 95% CI 0.447 to 2.162). CONCLUSION: South Asian and Black Afro-Caribbean women have a significantly lower live birth rate than white Caucasian women after fresh embryo transfer, but their frozen embryo transfer live birth rates are not significantly different.

Factors associated with early in vitro fertilization treatment discontinuation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors associated with early IVF treatment discontinuation. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Academic medical center. PATIENT(S): Six hundred sixty-nine first-attempt IVF patients who did not have a live birth. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Treatment discontinuation and time to return for a second IVF cycle. RESULT(S): Women without IVF insurance coverage were more likely to discontinue treatment than women with insurance coverage (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.22-4.40). African-American women were more likely to discontinue treatment (aOR = 2.95; 95% CI, 1.54-5.66) and returned for treatment more slowly (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 0.44; 95% CI, 0.28-0.71) than non-Hispanic white women, regardless of IVF insurance coverage or income. Women with a poor prognosis were more likely to discontinue treatment than women with a good prognosis. Older women with IVF insurance coverage or a good prognosis had a shorter time to return for a second IVF cycle than older women without IVF insurance coverage or with a poor prognosis. Estimated income, distance to clinic, fertility diagnosis, number of oocytes retrieved, and history of previous live birth were not associated with treatment discontinuation or time to return for a second IVF cycle after adjustment for covariates. CONCLUSION(S): IVF insurance coverage, race, age, and future treatment prognosis are associated with IVF treatment discontinuation and time to return.

The prevalence of infertility in American Indian/Alaska Natives and other racial/ethnic groups: National Survey of Family Growth.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of infertility in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations is unknown. The objective of our study was to estimate the prevalence of infertility and impaired fecundity in the AI/AN population and other racial and ethnic groups. METHODS: We analyzed female respondent data from the pooled National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) cycles 2002, 2006-2010, and 2011-2013. We used modified Poisson regression with robust error variance accounting for survey weighting to estimate prevalence proportion ratios (PPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for NSFG definitions of infertility and impaired fecundity by race and Hispanic ethnicity. RESULTS: The prevalence of infertility and impaired fecundity in the pooled NSFG was 6.4% (95% CI 5.7, 7.0) and 11.0% (95% CI 11.0, 12.2), respectively. Compared to whites, blacks had a 1.45 times greater adjusted prevalence of infertility (95% CI 1.15, 1.83) and AI/ANs had a 1.37 times greater prevalence of infertility (95% CI 0.91, 2.06) compared to whites. We observed a 1.30 times greater prevalence of impaired fecundity among AI/AN (95% CI 1.04, 1.62) compared to whites. We observed no differences in impaired fecundity for black or Asian/Pacific Islander women compared to whites or for Hispanic compared to non-Hispanic women. CONCLUSIONS: Inequalities in the burden of reproductive impairments among blacks and AI/AN women warrant further evaluation to identify opportunities for prevention and disparity reduction.

Public perspectives on placing age limits on men and women seeking fertility treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To assess public attitudes toward placing age limits on men and women seeking fertility treatment. DESIGN: Cross-sectional web-based survey. SETTING: Not applicable. PATIENT(S): A nationally representative sample of 1,427 adults in the United States. INTERVENTION(S): Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Support for placing age limits on people seeking fertility treatment. RESULT(S): Sixty-seven percent of respondents supported placing age limits on women, whereas 57% supported placing age limits on men seeking fertility treatments. Sixty-four percent agreed with current American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines that ET should not be undertaken beyond age 55 years. Whereas 55% of respondents supported placing age limits on both men and women, 12% supported age limits on women but not men, and 3% supported age limits on men but not women. Men were more likely to answer discordantly when compared with female respondents. Individuals older than 50 years, who lived in the western United States, or with a personal knowledge of someone who used assisted reproductive technology were more likely to support age limits on both women and men seeking fertility treatments. Sexual minorities, people without biological children, and single, long-term partnered or divorced/widowed respondents were less likely to support age limits on men or women seeking fertility treatments. CONCLUSION(S): Fifty-five percent of respondents in a nationally representative sample support upper age limits on both men and women seeking fertility treatments. Support was associated with various demographic characteristics. Men were more likely than women to support age limits only on women.

Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Utilization of Infertility Services: A Focus on American Indian/Alaska Natives.

Objectives Previous studies have identified racial/ethnic disparities in infertility care, but patterns among American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) have not been reported. Our objective was to evaluate infertility services use in the US by race/ethnicity using data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). Methods We analyzed female respondent data from the pooled NSFG cycles 2002, 2006-2010 and 2011-2013. Respondents reported use of infertility services and types of services. We calculated weighted crude and adjusted prevalence proportion ratios (PPR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) using modified Poisson regression with robust error variances accounting for the complex survey design to compare infertility services use across race/ethnicities. Results Overall, 8.7% of women reported using medical services to get pregnant. The prevalence of using any medical service to help get pregnant was lower for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) (PPR: 0.60, 95% CI 0.43-0.83) and black (PPR: 0.53, 95% CI 0.44-0.63) compared to white women and in Hispanic compared to non-Hispanic women (PPR: 0.57, 95% CI 0.48-0.67). The prevalence of accessing treatment, testing, and advice also differed by race and ethnicity. Conclusions for Practice We observed disparities in accessing services to get pregnant among AI/AN and black women and reduced use of advice among Asian/Pacific Islanders compared to whites. We also observed reduced service utilization for Hispanic compared to non-Hispanic women. Differential utilization of specific services suggests barriers to infertility care may contribute to reproductive health disparities among underserved populations.