Purpose of reviewTo examine the status of racial and ethnic inequalities in fertility care in the United States (U.S.) at inception of 2022. This review highlights addressable underpinnings for the prevalent differentials in access to and utilization of infertility treatments and underscores gaps in preventive care as key contributors to racial and ethnic disparities in risk burden for subfertility and infertility.Recent findingsSignificant gaps in access to and utilization of fertility care are consistently reported among racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Black and Hispanic women. Access to and utilization of contraceptives, human papilloma virus vaccination rates, preexposure prophylaxis use, and differentials in treatment of common gynecologic disorders are relevant to the prevalent racial and ethnic disparities in reproductive health. The spectrum of differential in reproductive wellness and the magnitude of reproductive health burden afflicting racial minorities in the U.S. raise concerns regarding systemic and structural racism as plausible contributors to the prevalent state of affairs.SummaryDespite efforts to reform unequal reproductive health practices and policies, racial and ethnic disparities in fertility care are pervasive and persistent. In addition to measures aimed at reducing barriers to care, societal efforts must prioritize health disparity research to systematically examine underpinnings, and addressing structural racism and interpersonal biases, to correct the prevalent racial inequities and mitigate disparities.
environment of choice) before ET; B. Control group: routine care only. Anxiety was assessed at 3 time points: T1¼recruitment; T2¼pre ET; T3¼Post ET, using the validated ''State-Trait Anxiety Inventory'' questionnaire, heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) measurements. The primary outcome was the CPR and the secondary outcomes were patients' anxiety parameters. T-test or chi square were used as appropriate. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTS: Seventy six patients were included in the analysis, 38 in each study arm. Patient and cycle characteristics were comparable between the groups. The mean VR exposure time was 23.2 AE14.1 minutes, the majority chose a beach environment (78.9%) and stated they would recommend VR (75.3%). No serious adverse events were reported. HR was higher in T2 vs T1 and T3 (p¼0.002), but the mean BP and HR did not differ between the groups. T1 and T2 'trait' anxiety scores were comparable between the groups. No significant differences were found between the VR group to control in the 'state' anxiety scores during T2 (40.3 vs 39.3) and T3 (38 vs 38), respectively (P>0.05). CPR was comparable between the VR and the control group (50% vs 34.2%, respectively; p¼0.42).CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to assess VR use in assisted reproduction. The preliminary findings suggest that VR exposure prior to ET does not reduce patients' anxiety levels. Although non-significant, a higher CPR trend in the VR group suggests that this intervention may have a beneficial effect, but a larger sample size is needed to confirm this.SUPPORT: CReATe Fertility Centre
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