Fertility of Men and Women in the U.

Jayanni Jeffery

ENG 102

Fertility plays a major role in many lives and shapes the growth of the world. Fertility is the

ability to conceive a child or reproduce. Women are often reminded about their fertility and are

influenced by society to address family planning. The reality is that many men and women

struggle with reproducing and face infertility. Approximately 12% of the American population

are infertile and there are more than 200,000 cases each year. Researchers and scientist have

developed solutions for infertility that can be helpful to men and women eager to have a family.

Did you know that 12% of women of reproductive age experience difficulty having a baby and

black women have twice the odds of infertility compared to white women?

Infertility in the black community is often not addressed. Black women who experience

infertility do not seek professional help. Studies show that white women are more likely to seek

professional help to improve infertility compared to minorities. According to Dr. Desiree

McCarthy-Keith, a Reproductive Endocrinologist at Georgia Reproductive Specialists, "research

shows that among the 7.3 million women in the United States, approximately 11.5% of African

American women experience a variety of infertility problems compared to 7% of white women."

(McCarthy-Keith). Women self-consciously accept the blame of infertility creating shame of

being inadequate to reproduce (Hillin). However, with reproductive literacy women can learn

what truly influences fertility.

The black community often relies on natural solutions compared to professional healthcare. The

religious influence on the black community also plays a role in their decision to intervene

infertility. "In God's timing" is often a belief that professional help can interfere with their divine

plan. The black community does not immediately seek outside help for personal issues. It is an

assumption that minorities do not have issues with fertility.

The black community perceives professional help as a costly expense. It is not feasible for a low-

income family to spend thousands of dollars on fertility treatment. Dr. McCarthy-Keith study

proves the financial strain on couples, "Cost of infertility services can be prohibitive to couples

from all ethnic backgrounds and cost may be a factor for some black women as well,"

(McCarthy-Keith). Fertility treatment is also not covered by common healthcare insurance

plans, requiring families to pay out of pocket. Women without health insurance are more likely to

visit free clinics to receive health support in their local community.

Accessibility to fertility treatment is limited to black women in their local community. Woman

with gynecologist can receive advice for infertility but will have to search for an infertility

specialist. The absence of reproductive health knowledge can hinder women's action to improve

infertility. "I believe lack of access to infertility care and limited awareness about evaluation and

treatment options can also be substantial obstacles that keep many women from receiving the

care that they need." (McCarthy-Keith) Infertility is not frequently discussed in the black

community. Black women struggle with infertility due to poor diet, fibroids, and stress.

Infertility is the reproductive inability to conceive a child within twelve months of sexual

intercourse. Infertility is common and affects many couples desire to begin a family. There are

different types of infertility: male, female, primary, and secondary infertility (Nova Clinic). Male

infertility is the dysfunction of the male reproductive health affecting conception. Female
infertility is the inability of conception due to the female poor reproductive health. Primary

infertility is defined by couples who have never conceived a child after trying. Secondary

infertility is defined by couples who have difficulty conceiving a child after miscarriages or

childbirth. Infertility is a temporary diagnosis due to the decline of reproductive function in men

and women.

A miscarriage does not diagnose infertility. A miscarriage is the unintended loss of pregnancy

within the first trimester, approximately twenty weeks after conception. The black community is

no stranger to miscarriages. According to Dr. McCarthy-Keith, "Clinical pregnancy rates were

significantly lower for African-American women compared with white women" (McCarthy-

Keith). Black women are more inclined to miscarriages compared to other races. Black women

are vulnerable to the loss of pregnancy due to pollution, stress, lack of prenatal care, access to

quality healthcare, and family genetics. African American women with an income lower than

40,000 are more likely to experience a miscarriage at 63 percent compared to white women with

the same income at 25 percent.

Fibroids is a major illness that affects black women's fertility. Black women are more likely to be

diagnosed compared to other races. According to Dr. McCarthy Keith, "By the end of the

reproductive years, the incidence of uterine fibroids in black women is 80%. As a result, black

women have hysterectomies for treatments of fibroids more often than women from any other

ethnic group" (McCarthy-Keith). Fibroids are a noncancerous growth on a woman's uterus.

There are three types of fibroids: cervical, submucosal, and intramural. Submucosal fibroids

have the largest impact on fertility. Fibroids create reproductive dysfunction by interfering with

the embryo for successful conception. Women overweight are at a higher risk to be diagnosed

with fibroids due to high estrogen levels.

Age plays a large role in fertility among men and women. After the age of thirty, a woman's

fertility gradually declines. Age can affect the quality and quantity of eggs to reproduce. Aging

directly affects a woman's ability to conceive a child or carry a child to full term. Fertility is an

ageist and affects reproductive organs. Women at the age of forty have a five percent chance of

conceiving and risk miscarrying after conception. Many women are now freezing their eggs at an

earlier age to prevent infertility during their family planning. Egg freezing gives the woman the

ability to control the timing of motherhood and also increases the chance to conceive.

Egg freezing is a great option for women who desire to begin family planning for the future.

However, this is not a popular option in the black community. Egg freezing is not economically

feasible for most minority couples or single black women. Freezing a woman's eggs can cost

approximately 10,000 for the procedure and over 800 per year to store eggs. Egg freezing is not a

common procedure for black healthcare. Most women in the black community do not anticipate

infertility to consider egg freezing during their youth. Although freezing eggs increases fertility it

does not guarantee conception after a procedure.

Infertility is not permanent and can be treated with proper healthcare. Women can rely on

medication, self-care, medical procedures, and therapies. There are several medical procedures

that a couple can choose to take advantage of. The most popular medical procedure is IVF but,

there is also ovulation induction, artificial insemination, and assisted reproductive technology.

Couples that are not successful with medical procedures also consider adoption or surrogacy to

create their family.

IVF is In Vitro Fertilization, this cycle fertilizes eggs to create an embryo that is implanted in a

woman's uterus. The success rate of IVF declines based on the woman's age during a procedure.

IVF can cost over 15,000 not including medication (Christiano). IVF is ideal for women with
damaged reproductive organs or unexplained infertility. IVF can be a long process for infertile

couples.

Black women are less likely to have a successful IVF cycle compared to white women (Lee).

This was contributed to the BMI and hormone levels of women. In a 2014 IVF study, "About 31

percent of white patients became pregnant after IVF, compared to about 17 percent of black

patients."(Salamon)

In conclusion, African American women with low economic income are the largest group of

minorities to struggle with fertility. Approximately 12% of women of reproductive age

experience difficulty having a baby and black women have twice the odds of infertility compared

to white women (Madsen). Black women do not have the proper health care resources in their

community. The lack of knowledge affects their ability to promote fertility. It is uncommon for

black women to seek professional healthcare for infertility due to several reasons: shame,

culture, access to professional service, the cost of services, and absence of awareness. Many

factors impact their ability to reproduce such as fibroids, age, and poor diet. Fertility is an ageist

and declines gradually after puberty. More than 80% of black women experience fibroids which

disrupt the reproductive organs. Women have many innovative options to treat infertility such as

egg freezing, IVF, and surrogacy. All these options help couples begin their families however

procedures become extremely expensive. Medical procedures do not guarantee conception and

may be performed multiple times for patients. For black women to beat the statistics it begins

with reproductive literacy. It is important for minorities to learn about reproductive health and

seek accessible resources. Once women learn the facts, infertility can be treated. The goal is to

help women and couples improve health and fulfill desires of creating a family.
Works Cited

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Christiano, Donna. "Fertility Treatment Options". Parents.com. Meredith Corporations. 2011
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