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Thank you for your interest in the Fertility Experiences Study (FES)! Enrollment is now closed. We successfully enrolled over 1000 women and have completed data collection. However, if you participated in FES and have a child aged one month to five years old you may be receiving a follow-up questionnaire. This follow-up study uses the Ages & Stages Questionnaire, an online screening tool, to assess your child's development. Please see the FES Expansion study for more information.

Background & Introduction

Population-based surveys indicate that about 15% of couples suffer from impaired fertility at some point during their reproductive lives. Although there have been major advances in infertility treatment, there are significant concerns about the health sequelae for children conceived through infertility treatments. Epidemiologic studies demonstrate higher incidence of pre-term birth, low birth weight, and birth defects among children conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART), which includes in vitro fertilization (IVF), when compared to children conceived naturally, even when the analyses are limited to singleton pregnancies. There are also concerns about developmental outcomes among these children. Major questions remain regarding the true incidence and etiology of these adverse outcomes, particularly in relation to whether they are attributable to conditions related to the underlying infertility, or to the treatments employed, or both. Answers to these questions are critical for couples facing decisions about infertility treatment, and for providers seeking to care for these couples and their children. This project will develop preliminary data that will support application for funding for prospective studies.

Objectives

Aim 1: Compare over three years of follow-up the proportion of couples with a live birth and the time to live birth by type of infertility treatment chosen (including no treatment), considering patient characteristics, including age, duration of infertility, medical diagnoses, and socioeconomic status.

Aim 2: Examine neonatal outcomes by type of infertility treatment chosen (including no treatment) and prior duration of infertility, adjusting for other patient characteristics, including medical diagnoses, age, duration of infertility, and socioeconomic status.

Aim 3: Estimate medical treatment costs per live birth (up to six weeks postpartum) by type of infertility treatment chosen.

Aim 4: Compare data on infertility treatment obtained through the following different methods: paper questionnaire, web-based questionnaire, clinical records, and telephone interviews.

Publications, Presentations, and Manuscripts

The Fertility Experiences Study: recruitment for a population-based study of infertility treatment

*Sanders JN, Reeves FS, Simonsen SE, Stanford JB

The Fertility Experiences Study: A comparison of attempt duration and treatment type between population and clinic cohorts
Sanders JN, Simonsen, SE, Ward MM, *Stanford JB