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Association of maternal fertility status and receipt of fertility treatment with healthcare utilization in infants up to age four

Journal of Perinatology volume 41, pages 2408–2416 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

Objective

This study evaluates differences in child healthcare utilization by maternal fertility status in the first four years of life.

Study design

The retrospective cohort evaluated Massachusetts (MA) live born infants using data linked from clinical assisted reproductive technology (ART) data, birth certificates, and hospital discharge records. Hospital records of infants born 2004–2017 to mothers of fertile (no infertility treatments or indicators of infertility), unassisted subfertile (UF, indicators of infertility but no fertility treatment), medically assisted reproduction (MAR, non-ART assistance with reproduction) and ART treatment were studied. Adjusted relative risk (aRR) was calculated using multivariable log binomial regression models.

Results

We included 339,426 singleton live-born infants discharged from birth hospitalization. Compared to children born to fertile mothers, those born to UF, MAR and ART-treated mothers were more likely to have hospital-based care (aRR 1.06–1.21) in their first 4 years.

Conclusions

Maternal subfertility with and without treatment was associated with small increases in child healthcare utilization.

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Fig. 1: Study cohort.

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Acknowledgements

Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) wishes to thank all of its members for providing clinical information to the SART CORS database for use by patients and researchers. Without the efforts of SART members, this research would not have been possible.

Funding

This study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health RO1HD67270.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Dmitry Dukhovny

  2. Section of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

    Sunah S. Hwang

  3. Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Daksha Gopal & Howard J. Cabral

  4. Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Hafsatou Diop

  5. Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Lebanon, NH, USA

    Judy E. Stern

Authors
  1. Dmitry Dukhovny
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  2. Sunah S. Hwang
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  3. Daksha Gopal
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  4. Howard J. Cabral
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  5. Hafsatou Diop
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  6. Judy E. Stern
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Correspondence to Dmitry Dukhovny.

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Dukhovny, D., Hwang, S.S., Gopal, D. et al. Association of maternal fertility status and receipt of fertility treatment with healthcare utilization in infants up to age four. J Perinatol 41, 2408–2416 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-021-01003-y

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