Infertility Service Utilization among Women Aged 15-44 in the United States: 2002

Elizabeth H. Stephen, Georgetown University
Anjani Chandra, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC

Data from the National Survey of Family Growth are used to examine trends in the use of medical services for infertility among women aged 15-44 in the United States between 1982 and 2002. Preliminary analyses have shown that the percentage of women who had ever used infertility services climbed between 1982 and 1995, but then dropped in 2002. The proposed research will explore demographic and health explanations that may underlie the apparent decrease in prevalence of fertility service utilization. For instance, the decline may be related to the baby boom generation aging out of the late reproductive years, or it may be indicative of generally better reproductive health in the population. We examine data on diagnosis and type of service used to gain insight into the trends of infertility service utilization.