Reports from Kaiser Permanente Northern California Advance Knowledge in Managed Care (Trends in Infertility Treatments by Race, Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Region in U.S. Birth Certificates from Live Births: 2011-2022): Managed Care

2026 JUL 14 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators publish new report on Managed Care. According to news reporting originating in Pleasanton, California, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Understanding national trends and disparities in infertility treatment utilization and modalities is crucial for equitable reproductive care. We examined age-standardized rates of infertility treatment utilization and specific treatment modalities among birthing individuals in the U.S. from 2011 to 2022, and assessed differences by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geographic region.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Kaiser Permanente Northern California, “To identify how trends in infertility treatment utilization among birthing individuals have changed in the United States from 2011 to 2022, and how utilization differ by treatment modalities, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geographic region. We performed a serial cross-sectional analysis using birth certificate data on live births (2011-2022) from the National Center for Health Statistics. Outcomes included infertility treatment utilization and modalities, including assisted reproductive technology (ART) and fertility-enhancing drugs and insemination (non-ART). We estimated age-standardized rates, average annual percent change (APC), and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geographic region. From 2011 to 2022, age-standardized rates of infertility treatment utilization among 40,053,571 birthing individuals with live births increased from 1.55% to 2.18 % (APC: 2.81% [95% CI 2.15%-3.56%]), with non-ART decreasing (APC: -1.05% [-1.99% to -0.04%]) and ART increasing (APC: 6.01% [5.22%-6.94%]). In 2022, rates of infertility treatment utilization were the lowest among American Indian/Alaska Native in 2022 (0.76%), followed by Black (0.93%), Hispanic (0.98%), Multiracial (1.91%), White (2.89%), and Asian/Pacific Islander individuals (3.01%). After adjusting for covariates, non-White birthing individuals had significantly lower odds of infertility treatment (aOR ranged 0.46-0.84) than White counterparts. Disparities were marked by socioeconomic status: infertility treatment utilization was lowest among those used Medicaid insurance (0.34% vs 2.55% non-Medicaid) and those with a high school education or less (0.52% vs 2.37% college-educated). Compared with the Northeast (3.23%), the South (1.49%), West (2.25%), and Midwest (2.39%) had consistently lower rates of infertility treatment in 2011-2022. Similar patterns were observed by treatment modality. Among U.S. birthing individuals with live births (2011-2022), birth-certificate-recorded infertility treatment usage increased, with opposing trends in non-ART versus ART.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Significant racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities highlight opportunities to improve infertility care accessibility and equity.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Trends in Infertility Treatments by Race, Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Region in U.S. Birth Certificates from Live Births: 2011-2022. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2026. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology can be contacted at: Mosby-elsevier, 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010-1710, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/american-journal-of-obstetrics-and-gynecology/)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Amanda L. Ngo, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Pleasanton, CA 94588. Additional authors for this research include Mariana C. Cabatu, William A. Grobman, Rana F. Chehab, Ana K. Rosen Vollmar, Emily Z. Wang, Assiamira Ferrara and Yeyi Zhu.

The publisher of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology can be contacted at: Mosby-elsevier, 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010-1710, USA.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)