Table II.
Studies on the stages of use of medically assisted reproduction by region/country, sorted by year of publication (within countries).
| Study | Data | Type of study, data collection, sampling, response rate (RR) | Year of data collection | Denominator | Numerator | Help-seeking rate |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Lifetime | ||||||
| North America | |||||||
| USA | |||||||
| Wilcox and Mosher (1993) | NSFG | Repeated cross-section, personal interviews, random sample, RR: NA (n = 8450) | 1988 |
Women 15–44 years with impaired fecundity (inability to have a child, physical difficulty conceiving/delivering a baby, pregnancy danger to women’s health, tried for ≥12 months) (n = 5.4 million, weighted) |
Highest treatment stage: advice, infertility tests, specialized infertility service |
10%, 9%, 24% |
|
| Staniec and Webb (2007) | NSFG | Repeated cross-section, personal interviews, random sample, RR: NA (n = 10 847) | 1995 |
Women 22–44 years with unprotected intercourse for ≥12 months or who reported difficulties getting pregnant (n = 1210)a |
Highest treatment stage: advice, infertility tests, ovulation medication, surgery, ART, no help |
NA |
6%, 7%, 11%, 3%, 6%, 67% |
| Chandra and Stephen (2010) | NSFG | Repeated cross-section, personal interviews, random sample, RR: NA (n = NA) | 1995, 2002 | Women 22–44 years with unprotected intercourse for ≥12 months or impaired fecundity (nonsurgically sterile, or physical problems to get pregnant or carry a pregnancy to term, or 36-month infertility) (n = 1091 in 1995; n = 914 in 2002) |
Highest treatment stage (2002): sought advice or had testing only, ovulation or miscarriage, ART, insemination, or had a surgery to restore fertility, no help |
NA |
11%, 18%, 9%, 62% |
| Greil et al. (2010) | National Survey of Fertility Barriers (NSFB) | Two-wave panel, telephone interview, random sample, RR 54% (n = 4796) | 2004–2007 | Women 25–45 years who a) ever tried ≥12 months to get pregnant (n = 1045), b) ≥12 months of unprotected intercourse (n = 1117) |
Type of help-seeking: considered treatment, talked to a doctor, tests, treatment, ART |
a) Subfecund with intent (lifetime): 63%, 50%, 39%, 27%, 6% |
b) Subfecund no intent (lifetime): 12%, 7%, 3%, 1%, .2% |
| Simonsen et al. (2012) | Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) | Repeated cross section, mixed mode survey, stratified sample of women who gave birth in eight states, RR: 75% (n = 25 358) | 2004–2005 | Women with live births who were trying to conceive (n = NA) |
Highest treatment stage (three states): ART, insemination and drugs, drugs only, other, none |
NA |
21%, 15%, 29%, 23%, 12% |
| Greil et al. (2013) | NSFB | Two-wave panel, telephone interview, random sample, RR: 54% (n = 4796) | 2004–2007 | Women 25–45 years who ever experienced 12 months of unprotected intercourse without conception in past 10 years (n = 1188) |
Highest treatment stage: considered treatment, talked to a doctor, tests, other treatments, ART |
NA |
11%, 8%, 10%, 13%, 5% |
| Kessler et al. (2013) | NSFG | Repeated cross-section, personal interviews, random sample, RR: NA (n = 22 682) | 2006–2010 | Women 25–44 years, married or in a cohabiting relationship (n = 4558) |
Highest treatment stage: infertility evaluation, evaluation and treatment |
7%, 7% |
|
| Sanders et al. (2014) | Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) | Repeated cross-section, mixed mode survey, stratified sample of women who gave birth in one state, RR: 81% (n = 9517) | 2004–2008 |
Women with live births in Utah who were trying to conceive (n = 5238) |
Highest treatment stage: ART, insemination, fertility-enhancing drugs, other medical treatment |
18%, 14%, 41%, 11% |
|
| Stanford et al. (2016) | Fertility Experience Study, Utah (includes a clinical sample and population sample; only latter reported here) | Cross-sectional, mixed mode, random sample, RR: NA (n = NA) | 2010–2012 | Childless women 20–35 and married (2–5 years) with a history of primary infertility who tried ≥12 months to get pregnant at index date (n = 501) |
Highest treatment stage: never received treatment, fertility drugs, assisted insemination, IVF |
NA |
41%, 26%, 19%, 14% |
| Crawford et al. (2017) | Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BSRSS) | Repeated cross-section, telephone interview, random sample, RR: 44% (n = NA) | 2013 |
Women 18–50 years who ever tried to get pregnant for >12 months or with difficulties staying pregnant (n = 689) |
Highest treatment stage: any treatment, consultation only |
NA |
50%, 18% |
| Oceania | |||||||
| Australia | |||||||
| Herbert et al. (2009) | Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health, birth cohort 1973–1978 | Multi-wave panel, postal survey, random sample, RR: NA (n = 14 247 in wave 1) | 1996–2006 (4 waves pooled) | Women aged 28–33 who ever tried >12 months to conceive (n = 1031) |
Highest treatment stage: advice, hormonal treatment or IVF |
NA |
35%, 36% |
| New Zealand | |||||||
| Righarts et al. (2015) | Own survey | Cross-sectional, online survey, random sample of women in Otego and Southland, RR: 60.1% (n = 1125) | 2011 | Women aged 25–50 who tried to conceive without success for 12 months and/or sought help (n = 235) |
Highest treatment stage: consulted doctor, consulted specialist, received treatment (only for first infertility episode) |
61%, 41%, 33% |
NA |
| Europe | |||||||
| UK | |||||||
| Templeton et al. (1991) | Own survey | Cross-sectional, postal survey, random sample in Aberdeen City District, RR: 86% (n = NA) | NA | Women 36–40 years (n = 157) and 46–50 years (n = 108) who ever experienced >2 years of trying or referral for investigation |
Type of help-seeking: sought help from their general practitioner, were referred to hospital infertility services |
NA |
13% age 36–40, 7% age 46–50; 77% age 36–40, 62% age 46–50 |
| Buckett and Bentick (1997) | Own survey | Cross-sectional, postal questionnaire, random sample in a region, RR: 85% (n = 548) | NA | Women 45–54 years who ever tried to conceive for >12 months (n = 126) |
Highest treatment stage: general practitioner only, specialist appointment |
NA |
14 %, 34% |
| Oakley et al. (2007) | Own survey | Cross-sectional, postal questionnaire, two-stage-random sample, RR: 46% (n = 26 040) | 2001 | Women 40–55 years old at time of survey who ever tried to have a child or had a child (n = 6584) |
Highest treatment stage: consulted a doctor about help getting pregnant, received fertility treatment |
NA |
16%, 8% |
aInformation on treatment stages is available only for n = 1091 women.