Inequalities in Infertility Service Utilization: A Comparison of Latina and Caucasian Women with Impaired Fecundity Who Seek and Do Not Seek Care

Purpose: To compare racial differences in accessing infertility services, and to characterize socioeconomic, cultural and social factors that influence the propensity to seek care. Methods: Using data from the 2002 and 2006-2010 rounds of the National Survey of Family Growth, bivariate analyses and multiple logistic regressions were performed to determine the associations between individual patient characteristics and health seeking practices, stratified by ethnicity. Results: Factors that were significantly associated with seeking infertility services included Latina ethnicity, age, country of birth, more than high school education, being born in the United States, placing importance on religion, >200% federal poverty level, not having medical insurance for the past 12 months, and stating “Yes” to the question “Do you want a baby?”. Conclusions: Latinas are more likely to seek infertility services compared with Caucasian women. A number of demographic, cultural, social, and socioeconomic factors are significantly related to propensity to seek infertility care. This study shows that infertility service utilization is a multifaceted issue and further qualitative research is needed to better understand factors contributing to service utilization.