Open AccessChances of pregnancy after dropping out from infertility treatments: Evidence from a social survey in Japan
Author(s) -
Hirakawa Marie,
Usui Emiko,
Mitsuyama Nahoko,
Oshio Takashi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
reproductive medicine and biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.005
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1447-0578
pISSN - 1445-5781
DOI - 10.1002/rmb2.12377
Subject(s) - pregnancy , infertility , discontinuation , medicine , donor insemination , obstetrics , in vitro fertilisation , fertility , gynecology , artificial insemination , population , psychiatry , environmental health , genetics , biology
Purpose We examined a patient's chances of pregnancy after dropping out from infertility treatments, an issue that has been largely understudied. Method Drawing from a nationwide Internet survey in Japan with 1930 respondents, we used data from 199 individuals (109 women and 90 men) who had undergone an infertility treatment. We estimated linear probability models to investigate the extent to which the probability of pregnancy was affected by dropping out after controlling for a couple's attributes. Results Among the 199 respondents who had experienced an infertility treatment, 91 (45.7% of the entire sample) became pregnant during the treatment, and 108 (54.3%) dropped out. Among these 108 dropouts, 66 (33.2%) eventually became pregnant. After controlling for a couple's attributes, treatment discontinuation reduced the probability of pregnancy by 31.6% (standard error: 5.0%). A relatively limited reduction in the chances of pregnancy was also observed after a patient dropped out of any of the three treatment stages (timed intercourse, intrauterine insemination, and in vitro fertilization). Conclusions The results suggest that dropping out from infertility treatments does not preclude any chance of a future pregnancy. More follow‐up attention should be provided to dropout patients.