Infertility services reported by men in the United States: national survey data

Abstract

Objective: To describe the extent to which men report they or their partners had made use of infertility services, what services and conditions were reported, and what factors were associated with their use of services.

Design: Analysis of the male sample of the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, a nationally-representative household survey of men 15-44. Analysis involved estimation of percentages, chi-squared tests of difference, and multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Setting: The 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, Cycle 6.

Patient(s): A total of 4109 sexually experienced men aged 15-44 years in the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth who had received infertility services.

Intervention(s): None.

Main outcome measure(s): Percentage of men reporting that they had sought help with having a baby.

Result(s): A total of 7.5% of all sexually experienced men reported a visit for help with having a child; 2.2% reported a visit in the past year, equivalent to 3.3-4.7 million men reporting a lifetime visit and 787,000-1.5 million a past-year visit. Visits were reported more frequently by older men, those currently or previously married, and the more highly educated. Male-related infertility conditions were reported by 18.1% of those who sought help, the most frequent being sperm or semen problems and varicocele.

Conclusion(s): Previous estimates of infertility help-seeking were based on data from women. Men report a percentage seeking help that appears to be somewhat lower than reported by women. About 1 in 5 of those seeking help reported male-related infertility conditions.