Open AccessInfertility, medical advice and treatment with fertility hormones and/or in vitro fertilisation: a population perspective from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health
Author(s) -
Herbert Danielle L.,
Lucke Jayne C.,
Dobson Annette J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2009.00408.x
Subject(s) - infertility , fertility , in vitro fertilisation , perspective (graphical) , medicine , gynecology , female infertility , demography , population , family medicine , obstetrics , pregnancy , biology , environmental health , sociology , artificial intelligence , computer science , genetics
Objective:To identify the factors associated with infertility, seeking advice and treatment with fertility hormones and/or in vitro fertilisation (IVF) among a general population of women.Methods:Participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health aged 28‐33 years in 2006 had completed up to four mailed surveys over 10 years (n=9,145). Parsimonious multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the socio‐demographic, biological (including reproductive histories), and behavioural factors associated with infertility, advice and hormonal/IVF treatment.Results:For women who had tried to conceive or had been pregnant (n=5,936), 17% reported infertility. Among women with infertility (n=1031), 72% (n=728) sought advice but only 50% (n=356) used hormonal/IVF treatment. Women had higher odds of infertility when: they had never been pregnant (OR=7.2, 95% CI 5.6‐9.1) or had a history of miscarriage (OR range=1.5‐4.0) than those who had given birth (and never had a miscarriage or termination).Conclusion:Only one‐third of women with infertility used hormonal and/or IVF treatment. Women with PCOS or endometriosis were the most proactive in having sought advice and used hormonal/IVF treatment.Implications:Raised awareness of age‐related declining fertility is important for partnered women aged ∼30 years to encourage pregnancy during their prime reproductive years and reduce the risk of infertility.