Comparison of implantation and pregnancy rates in African American and white women in an assisted reproductive technology practice.

OBJECTIVE: To compare IVF outcomes between infertile African American and white women.
DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.
SETTING: Hospital-based IVF practice. PATIENT(S): Women undergoing IVF procedures between November 1996 and June 2000. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Implantation and pregnancy rates. RESULT(S): There were 24 African American and 273 white women < or =40 years of age who underwent 25 and 333 IVF cycles, respectively. African American women were more likely to have had tubal factor as a primary diagnosis, to have had a child, and to have undergone fewer previous assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles as compared to white women. No differences between the two groups for clinical variables were noted with the exception of body mass index (BMI [kg/m(2)], 27.1 in African Americans vs. 24.8 in whites). Implantation rates were higher in African American than in white women (35% vs. 23%, respectively). Pregnancy rates were 71% in African Americans and 48% in whites. After adjustment for tubal factor, BMI, and parity, the odds ratio for pregnancy in African American women versus white women increased from 2.6 to 3.3. CONCLUSION(S): This is the first study to demonstrate a significantly higher clinical pregnancy rate in African American women as compared to white women undergoing ART. These data strongly contradict a recent study comparing the same two groups of women undergoing ART. We urge other ART centers to report their data pertaining to race.