Chances of Pregnancy After Dropping Out From Infertility Treatments: Evidence From A Social Survey in Japan
Abstract Background: Previous studies have examined the factors that predict whether a patient will discontinue infertility treatments. However, little is known about a patient’s chances of pregnancy after dropping out.Method: Drawing from a nationwide Internet survey in Japan with 1,930 respondents, we used data from 199 individuals (109 women and 90 men) who had undergone an infertility treatment. Besides conducting a descriptive analysis to examine the probability of pregnancy after the treatment, we estimated linear probability models to investigate the extent to which the probability of pregnancy was affected by dropping out after controlling for a couple’s attributes.Results: Among the 199 respondents who had experienced an infertility treatment, 91 (45.7% of the entire sample) became pregnant during the treatment, and 108 (54.3%) dropped out. Among these 108 dropouts, 66 (33.2%) eventually became pregnant. After controlling for a couple’s attributes, we found that treatment discontinuation reduced the probability of pregnancy by 35.4% (standard error: 5.0%). A relatively limited reduction in the chances of pregnancy was also observed after a patient dropped out of any of the three treatment stages (timed intercourse, artificial insemination with the husband’s semen, and in vitro fertilization).Conclusions: The results suggest that dropping out from infertility treatments does not preclude any chance of a future pregnancy; in fact, the chances remain relatively high. Further analysis of a patient’s chances of pregnancy after dropping out is required to evaluate the effectiveness of infertility treatments appropriately. Additionally, more follow-up attention should be provided to dropout patients.