Clinical and Sociodemographic Profile of Patients Attending a Public Assisted Reproduction Unit and Factors Associated with the Type of Technique Used
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objective: To analyze the clinical and sociodemographic profile of patients un-dergoing assisted reproductive techniques (ART) and to assess whether sociodemo-graphic or clinical factors influence access to the different therapeutic modalities available in a public assisted reproduction unit. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted including 222 pa-tients treated at the Maternal and Child Hospital of Málaga (January–June 2025). So-ciodemographic and clinical variables were analyzed using multivariate models. Results: The mean age was 34.7 years, with a predominance of women aged 35–39 years (46.85%). Most patients were of normal weight (59.17%), non smokers (74.77%), and employed (88.68%). New family models accounted for 23.6% of the co-hort, including 16.67% single mothers by choice (SMC) and 6.94% female couples, high-lighting diversity and equity in reproductive access. Infertility diagnosis and marital status were significantly associated with the technique used (p < 0.001), whereas edu-cational level showed no association. Among clinical diagnoses, structural uterine pa-thology was one of the most frequent (23.02% of valid gynecological histories), together with diminished ovarian reserve and other factors guiding referral to IVF/ICSI and other high complexity techniques. In the multivariate analysis, structural uterine pa-thology showed a trend toward greater use of high complexity techniques without reaching statistical significance (adjusted OR 1.16; 95% CI: 0.48–2.77; p = 0.742), likely due to limited statistical power and a high proportion of missing data (36.94% for infertility diagnosis/duration). Conclusions: In this cohort, the public health system ensured equitable access to ART based on clinical criteria and family models, suggesting that the socioeconomic variables evaluated did not determine the type of treatment received. Access was pri-marily driven by clinical need, underscoring the relevance of the uterine factor as a functional determinant of implantation and therapeutic personalization. Multicenter studies are warranted to evaluate reproductive outcomes and potential hidden inequities.
Source: Healthcare
Language: English
Subfield: Reproductive Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,258
OpenAlex ID: W7203867189