Use of Medically Assisted Reproduction to Have a Child and Its Social and Demographic Determinants in Germany

Jasmin Passet-Wittig , Federal Institute for Population Research, Germany
Arthur Greil, Alfred University
Julia McQuillan, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Martin Bujard, Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB)

Continuing postponement of births to higher ages is associated with an increased risk of experiencing age-related infertility. Despite increased use of medically assisted reproduction (MAR), relatively little is known about the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of those seeking medical help to have a child. Most studies come from English-speaking countries; their findings, therefore, may not be applicable to Germany due to differences in healthcare delivery, regulation, and reimbursement schemes. This study addresses two related research questions: 1) What percentage of people have ever used different types of MAR in Germany? 2) Does use of MAR vary by socio-economic and demographic categories and stage of treatment? Using data from the FReDA survey of over 20,000 respondents aged 18-50, we calculate prevalence rates for both men and women and estimate partial proportional odds models that allow for explanatory variables to vary by treatment stage. Our lifetime indicator of having ever sought medical help to have a child differentiates between no treatment, seen a doctor, received medication, and received treatment. Seeking medical help to conceive is influenced by various factors, some of which (age, number of children, household income), vary by treatment stage while others (marital status and level of urbanization have a similar effect at all treatment stages. We contribute to help-seeking research by considering multiple stages of help-seeking rather than using a binary indicator as is common in most studies on this topic, particularly for Europe. Our analysis shows that a more nuanced view on MAR use is warranted.

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 Presented in Session 45. Assisted Reproduction