UK fertility regulator finds racial disparities in treatment outcomes

Fertility treatment outcomes vary widely for Black, Asian and ethnic minority patients, the UK fertility regulator has found. 

Data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) showed significant differences by ethnic group in the use and outcomes of fertility treatment.

The average IVF birth rate per embryo transferred has increased across all groups, but Black and Asian patients aged 18-37 had the lowest birth rates (23 per cent and 24 per cent respectively) compared to white patients (32 per cent) between 2020 and 2021.

Multiple births are a high risk to patients and babies. The Ethnic Diversity in Fertility Treatment 2021 report revealed that Black patients continued to have the highest multiple birth rates at nine per cent, compared to seven per cent for white patients.

Professor Geeta Nargund, member of the HFEA, said: “There is no room for the health inequalities that exist within fertility treatment,

“While it is good news that multiple birth rates in all groups have dropped, this new HFEA report highlights the health inequalities that still exist within fertility treatment.

“It shows that there is a need for meaningful changes so that Black, Asian and ethnic minority fertility patients and their partners are not left behind in access to and experience of fertility treatment.”

In its latest report, the HEFA also highlighted disparities in the age that patients start treatment, Nargund said. Black patients in heterosexual relationships, for example, started fertility treatment about a year later than other ethnic groups at 36.

While NHS-funded IVF cycles among patients under 40 in heterosexual relationships were found to have decreased across all ethnic groups, the report found that funding decreased most among Black patients, from 60 per cent in 2019 to 41 per cent in 2021.

IVF was most used by white patients (77 per cent), with Black IVF patients accounting for three per cent of IVF patients compared to four per cent of the age-matched population, the same report showed.

The HFEA, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the British Fertility Society and Fertility Network UK have called for action to ensure that Black, Asian and ethnic minority patients and their partners are not left behind in access to and experience of fertility treatment.

“We know that fertility declines with age, and we are concerned the data shows that Black, Asian and ethnic-minority patients are left behind,” said Professor Nargund.

“A shared focus of all members within the sector is equalising treatment and hearing from the impacted groups to inform robust policy making.

“Increasing information awareness, addressing high-risk factors and further investigating health conditions such as endometriosis or fibroids, start the right conversations to begin to eradicate the disparities.”

She added: “The HFEA is committed to working together with other key bodies and healthcare professionals to ensure patients across all groups have better access to fertility treatment.”