{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T18:50:23Z","timestamp":1790362223084,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]],"date-time":"2025-12-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766016000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Despite significant advances in assisted reproductive technology (ART), disparities in clinical outcomes persist. While patient-related factors are well-studied, the role of partner ethnicity remains understudied. We hypothesized that partner ethnicity affects ART outcomes. This study examined the association between partner ethnicity and ART outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among patients and their partners undergoing IVF treatment in the United Kingdom between 2017 and 2018. The exposure was partner ethnicity. Outcomes included biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and live birth. We calculated risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using multivariable regression models to estimate the association between partner ethnicity and IVF outcomes, adjusting for female patient age, partner age, patient ethnicity, gravidity, infertility diagnosis, treatment type, preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy, and number of prior in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. Results: Among 158,813 IVF cycles, live birth rates per cycle were 26.3% for couples with White partners and 23.1% for those with non-White partners. Non-White partners were associated with a 5% lower clinical pregnancy rate (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.92\u20130.97) and a 6% lower live birth rate (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.92\u20130.97). Specifically, Black (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.77\u20130.87) and Asian (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.59\u20130.76) partners had significantly reduced live birth rates, though these associations were attenuated after adjusting for patient ethnicity. Couples in which both the partner and patient were Black or Asian had 24\u201342% lower live birth rates compared with White couples (Black: RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.70\u20130.82; Asian: RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.49\u20130.68). Conclusions: Partner ethnicity is independently associated with IVF outcomes, with non-White partners showing lower rates of these outcomes. These findings suggest the clinical relevance of partner ethnicity in reproductive outcomes. Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these associations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14248962","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]],"date-time":"2025-12-18T16:42:05Z","timestamp":1766076125000},"page":"8962","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Partner Ethnicity and Assisted Reproductive Technology Outcomes: A Retrospective Cohort Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5334-7652","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shu Qin","family":"Wei","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Origin Elle Fertility Clinic & Women\u2019s Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J3, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8121-7708","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michael H.","family":"Dahan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Origin Elle Fertility Clinic & Women\u2019s Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J3, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yu","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Origin Elle Fertility Clinic & Women\u2019s Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J3, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3380-7620","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mingju","family":"Cao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Origin Elle Fertility Clinic & Women\u2019s Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J3, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3701-2382","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Justin","family":"Tan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CReATe Fertility Centre, Toronto, ON M5G 1N8, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5311-1255","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Seang Lin","family":"Tan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Origin Elle Fertility Clinic & Women\u2019s Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J3, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"153","DOI":"10.1093\/humupd\/dmad028","article-title":"Declining Global Fertility Rates and the Implications for Family Planning and Family Building: An IFFS Consensus Document Based on a Narrative Review of the Literature","volume":"30","author":"Fauser","year":"2024","journal-title":"Hum. Reprod. Update"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1390","DOI":"10.1016\/0140-6736(92)91205-M","article-title":"Cumulative Conception and Livebirth Rates after In-Vitro Fertilisation","volume":"339","author":"Tan","year":"1992","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"82","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajog.2024.07.024","article-title":"Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Reproductive Medicine in the United States: A Narrative Review of Contemporary High-Quality Evidence","volume":"232","author":"Lewis","year":"2025","journal-title":"Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1974","DOI":"10.1007\/s43032-022-00928-9","article-title":"Black-White Inequality in Outcomes of in Vitro Fertilization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis","volume":"29","author":"Veira","year":"2022","journal-title":"Reprod. Sci."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3069","DOI":"10.1007\/s10815-021-02348-1","article-title":"Racial disparities in frozen embryo transfer success","volume":"38","author":"Heyward","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Assist. Reprod. Genet."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"904","DOI":"10.1111\/1471-0528.14241","article-title":"Effect of Ethnicity on Live Birth Rates after in Vitro Fertilisation\/Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection Treatment: Analysis of UK National Database","volume":"124","author":"Maalouf","year":"2017","journal-title":"BJOG"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"255","DOI":"10.1080\/20905998.2025.2470045","article-title":"Racial differences in male fertility parameters in 2996 men examined for infertility in a single center","volume":"23","author":"Henkel","year":"2025","journal-title":"Arab J. Urol."},{"key":"ref_8","first-page":"31","article-title":"The Effect of Ethnicity on Semen Analysis and Hormones in the Infertile Patient","volume":"14","author":"Punjani","year":"2020","journal-title":"Can. Urol. Assoc. J."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"475","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2022.05.037","article-title":"Geographic Variation in Semen Parameters from Data Used for the World Health Organization Semen Analysis Reference Ranges","volume":"118","author":"Feferkorn","year":"2022","journal-title":"Fertil. Steril."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e239","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2020.08.671","article-title":"Influence of Male Partner Race on Use and Outcomes of Assisted Reproductive Technologies","volume":"114","author":"Vest","year":"2020","journal-title":"Fertil. Steril."},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"HFEA (2025, September 25). UK Fertility Regulator, Available online: https:\/\/www.hfea.gov.uk\/about-us\/publications\/research-and-data\/ethnic-diversity-in-fertility-treatment-2018\/."},{"key":"ref_12","first-page":"1786","article-title":"The International Glossary on Infertility and Fertility Care, 2017","volume":"32","author":"Adamson","year":"2017","journal-title":"Hum. Reprod."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1086","DOI":"10.1111\/andr.12992","article-title":"Investigation of Racial Disparities in Semen Parameters among White, Black, and Asian Men","volume":"9","author":"Walker","year":"2021","journal-title":"Andrology"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"56","DOI":"10.1016\/j.urology.2021.05.080","article-title":"Influence of Paternal Race on Characteristics and Outcomes of Assisted Reproductive Technologies","volume":"163","author":"Vest","year":"2022","journal-title":"Urology"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"241","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2022.11.005","article-title":"Ethnic Group and Reason for Assisted Reproductive Technology Failure: Analysis of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Registry Data from 2017 to 2018","volume":"119","author":"Henderson","year":"2023","journal-title":"Fertil. Steril."},{"key":"ref_16","first-page":"22","article-title":"Impact of Race versus Ethnicity on Infertility Diagnosis between Black American, Haitian, African, and White American Women Seeking Infertility Care: A Retrospective Review","volume":"3","author":"McHale","year":"2022","journal-title":"FS Rep."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1287","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2021.06.029","article-title":"One Size Does Not Fit All: Variations by Ethnicity in Demographic Characteristics of Men Seeking Fertility Treatment across North America","volume":"116","author":"Chen","year":"2021","journal-title":"Fertil. Steril."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kaltsas, A., Zikopoulos, A., Vrachnis, D., Skentou, C., Symeonidis, E.N., Dimitriadis, F., Stavros, S., Chrisofos, M., Sofikitis, N., and Vrachnis, N. (2024). Advanced Paternal Age in Focus: Unraveling Its Influence on Assisted Reproductive Technology Outcomes. J. Clin. Med., 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm13102731"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lahimer, M., Montjean, D., Cabry, R., Capelle, S., Lefranc, E., Bach, V., Ajina, M., Ben Ali, H., Khorsi-Cauet, H., and Benkhalifa, M. (2023). Paternal Age Matters: Association with Sperm Criteria\u2019s-Spermatozoa DNA Integrity and Methylation Profile. J. Clin. Med., 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm12154928"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"22","DOI":"10.1016\/j.arr.2014.10.007","article-title":"Consistent Age-Dependent Declines in Human Semen Quality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis","volume":"19","author":"Johnson","year":"2015","journal-title":"Ageing Res. Rev."},{"key":"ref_21","first-page":"CD005291","article-title":"Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidies (Abnormal Number of Chromosomes) in in Vitro Fertilisation","volume":"9","author":"Cornelisse","year":"2020","journal-title":"Cochrane Database Syst. Rev."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e081474","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj-2024-081474","article-title":"Frozen versus Fresh Embryo Transfer in Women with Low Prognosis for in Vitro Fertilisation Treatment: Pragmatic, Multicentre, Randomised Controlled Trial","volume":"388","author":"Wei","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMJ"}],"container-title":["Journal of Clinical Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/14\/24\/8962\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]],"date-time":"2025-12-18T16:49:48Z","timestamp":1766076588000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/14\/24\/8962"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]]},"references-count":22,"journal-issue":{"issue":"24","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12]]}},"alternative-id":["jcm14248962"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jcm14248962","relation":{},"ISSN":["2077-0383"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2077-0383","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]]}}}