Asian and black women who have IVF are less likely to become pregnant than white women using similar fertility treatment, British research suggests

The Nottingham University team say that they are unsure why this is, but genetic factors could play a role. They looked at IVF success rates for 1,517 women treated in their clinic. Live birth rates for ethnic minority women were significantly lower. Overall, 35% of ethnic minority women successfully conceived and gave birth after IVF compared with 44% of white women treated at the clinic between 2006 and 2011. This was despite all the women appearing to have favorable chances of having a baby, based on factors such as the quality of their egg reserves. The birth rate also differed between three ethnic sub-groups - 21.4% for Middle East Asian women, 23.3% for African-Caribbean women and 38% for South East Asian women - although this finding was not statistically significant. Lead researcher Dr Walid Maalouf said that the reasons behind the findings were unclear. "Further research into genetic background as a potential determinant of IVF outcome, as well as the influencing effects of lifestyle and cultural factors on reproductive outcomes is needed," he said.