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Review
. 2024 Apr 11;13(8):2224.
doi: 10.3390/jcm13082224.

Moving toward Narrowing the United States Gap in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Next Decade

Jasmin Mahabamunuge  1 , David B Seifer  1
Affiliations
Review

Moving toward Narrowing the United States Gap in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Next Decade

Jasmin Mahabamunuge et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

The Disparities in Assisted Reproductive Technology (DART) hypothesis, initially described in 2013 and further modified in 2022, is a conceptual framework to examine the scope and depth of underlying contributing factors to the differences in access and treatment outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities undergoing ART in the United States. In 2009, the World Health Organization defined infertility as a disease of the reproductive system, thus recognizing it as a medical problem warranting treatment. Now, infertility care is largely recognized as a human right. However, disparities in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) care in the US persist today. While several studies and review articles have suggested possible solutions to racial and ethnic disparities in access and outcomes in ART, few have accounted for and addressed the multiple complex factors contributing to these disparities on a systemic level. This review aims to acknowledge and address the myriad of contributing factors through the DART hypothesis which converge in racial/ethnic disparities in ART and considers possible solutions to effect large scale societal change by narrowing these gaps within the next decade.

Keywords: DART hypothesis; access; assisted reproductive technology; bias; disparities; ethnicity; in vitro fertilization; intrauterine insemination; public health; race; treatment outcomes.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The DART hypothesis in racial and ethnic disparities in access and outcomes of IVF treatment in the US. Published with permission from Reproductive Sciences [60].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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