Jones Bobbie, Peri-Rotem Nitzan, Mountford-Zimdars Anna
Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Department of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Hum Fertil (Camb). 2023 Jul;26(3):494-503. doi: 10.1080/14647273.2023.2190040. Epub 2023 Mar 25.
It is estimated that one in seven couples in the UK experience infertility, though just over half of those affected by it seek professional help. Previous studies pointed to potential socioeconomic barriers in accessing assisted reproduction; however, less is known about geographic accessibility to fertility treatment and the way it is associated with measures of deprivation. In this study, we used publicly available data on fertility clinics, combined with official statistics for 315 local authorities in England, to create a standardized measure of geographic accessibility to fertility services. In addition, using a negative binomial regression model, we estimated the link between socioeconomic measures at the local authority level and availability of fertility services. We found that geographic accessibility to assisted reproduction is significantly higher in the most advantaged local authorities in terms of average household income and level of deprivation. This may lead to reduced opportunities for realizing fertility aspirations among those suffering from infertility in more deprived areas. Taking into account both socioeconomic and geographic barriers to accessing fertility treatment can contribute to a better understanding of help-seeking patterns for infertility, likelihood of achieving a live birth and inform policy to equalise opportunities in access to infertility treatment.
据估计，英国每七对夫妇中就有一对经历不孕不育问题，不过在这些受影响的人中，只有略超过一半的人寻求专业帮助。此前的研究指出了在获得辅助生殖方面潜在的社会经济障碍；然而，对于生育治疗的地理可及性以及它与贫困衡量指标之间的关联，人们了解得较少。在本研究中，我们利用了关于生育诊所的公开数据，并结合英格兰315个地方当局的官方统计数据，创建了一个衡量生育服务地理可及性的标准化指标。此外，我们使用负二项回归模型，估计了地方当局层面的社会经济指标与生育服务可及性之间的联系。我们发现，就平均家庭收入和贫困程度而言，在最富裕的地方当局中，辅助生殖的地理可及性显著更高。这可能会导致在更贫困地区遭受不孕不育问题的人实现生育愿望的机会减少。考虑到获得生育治疗的社会经济和地理障碍，有助于更好地理解不孕不育问题的求助模式、实现活产的可能性，并为制定平等获得不孕不育治疗机会的政策提供参考。
