Black women have the lowest chance of conceiving through IVF, new data suggests

White women and mixed race women were most likely to have successful treatment

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Black women have a lower chance of successful IVF than any other ethnic group in the UK, a new study has found.

New figures released by the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) found that IVF birth rates were lowest among black people, particularly those who identified as black African.

Black women aged 30-34 had average birth rates per embryo transferred of 23 per cent, while white and mixed ethnicity women had average birth rates of 30 per cent.

Researchers said the reasons for the variation were not certain but suggested that factors such as socioeconomic-related pre-existing health conditions like obesity may play a role.

Another possible factor referenced was the fact that fibroids are more common among black women and are linked to decreased IVF success.

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White and mixed race women had the highest birth rates, followed by those who identified as an "Other" ethnicity, then Asian women.

The data, which spanned the years 2014-2018, also examined the age at which people of different ethnicities sought IVF and the likelihood of multiple births.

Black women started IVF later than other ethnic groups, at an average age of 36.4, compared with the national average of 34.6 in 2018.

The report found that black mothers had the highest multiple birth rates. The rate of multiple births for black patients was 14 per cent, while it was 13 per cent for those who identified as "Other" and 11 per cent for mixed ethnicity, white and Asian parents.

Researchers said multiple births were "the single biggest health risk of fertility treatment for both patients and babies", pointing out that they come with increased risk of miscarriage, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, caesarean section and higher rates of maternal mortality.

Multiple pregnancies were directly or indirectly linked to nine of the 209 maternal deaths from 2015 to 2017.

Earlier this year, a report by the Joint Committee on Human Rights found that black women are four times more likely than white women to die in pregnancy or childbirth in the UK.

The report also revealed that women from Asian ethnic backgrounds face twice the risk of maternal death and urged the government to introduce an NHS target to end the imbalance between ethnic groups.