New Progyny Study Examines Persistent Racial and Ethnic Differences in Fertility Treatment Initiation Despite Access to Benefits
Key Highlights
- ➤Treatment initiation rates were 10%-19% lower among minority groups than White patients
- ➤African American/Black patients started treatment after 136 days versus 127 days for White patients
- ➤Other/Mixed race and ethnicity patients waited 144 days before treatment initiation
- ➤Time to pregnancy treatment cycles ranged from 180 to 190 days across groups
- ➤Asian/Pacific Islander patients showed higher IUI and lower IVF initiation odds
Expert Statements
Janet Choi, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Progyny
“Expanding access to fertility benefits is an important step toward making care more equitable, but this research reminds us that coverage alone does not eliminate every barrier patients may face”
Janet Choi, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Progyny
“What stands out is that once patients engage in treatment, time to pregnancy is largely similar across groups. That reinforces the need to look more closely at the barriers that may inhibit certain patient populations from pursuing appropriate clinical evaluations as well as what obstacles may delay certain patient populations from proceeding to timely, indicated treatments even when they have access to comprehensive fertility benefits.”
Kyle Le, MD, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellow at Shady Grove Fertility
“Improving fertility care requires us to understand not only what happens during treatment, but also who is getting to treatment in the first place”
Kyle Le, MD, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellow at Shady Grove Fertility
“These findings highlight the importance of looking more closely at differences in treatment decisions across patient populations and identifying opportunities to ensure every individual receives appropriate, personalized care.”
NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Progyny, Inc. (Nasdaq: PGNY), a global leader in women’s health and family building solutions, today announced findings from new research presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) 2026 Scientific Congress & Expo, revealing that racial and ethnic disparities in fertility treatment initiation persist even among patients with access to fertility benefits. However, the time from initial consultation to the start of a treatment cycle resulting in pregnancy was largely comparable across racial and ethnic groups, highlighting the importance of better understanding the clinical, personal, and other factors that influence treatment decisions.
The study, “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Initiation of Treatment Within a Fertility Benefit Program,” examined 12,516 patients who accessed fertility benefits between 2024 and 2025 to better understand how race and ethnicity may influence treatment initiation, time to care, treatment selection, and time to pregnancy.
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