Characterization of Fertility Clinic Attendees in the Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study

Noor Motea Abdo, Hafiz Ahmad, Tom Loney, Panayota Napoleon Zarmakoupis, Irfan Aslam, Shazia Irfan, Michal Grivna, Luai A. Ahmed and Rami H. Al-Rifai ()
Additional contact information
Noor Motea Abdo: Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 17666, United Arab Emirates
Hafiz Ahmad: Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, RAK College of Medical Sciences, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah P.O. Box 11172, United Arab Emirates
Tom Loney: College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai P.O. Box 505055, United Arab Emirates
Panayota Napoleon Zarmakoupis: IVF-Infertility Services-MEIVIS Department, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain P.O. Box 15258, United Arab Emirates
Irfan Aslam: HealthPlus Fertility Center, HealthPlus Network of Specialty Centers, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Shazia Irfan: HealthPlus Fertility Center, HealthPlus Network of Specialty Centers, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Michal Grivna: Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 17666, United Arab Emirates
Luai A. Ahmed: Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 17666, United Arab Emirates
Rami H. Al-Rifai: Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 17666, United Arab Emirates

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-20

Abstract: This study describes the primary and secondary infertility in patients attending fertility clinics and reports factors associated with primary infertility. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in two fertility clinics in Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates (UAE) between December 2020 and May 2021. The collected information covered sociodemographic, lifestyle, medical, and fertility-related characteristics. The mean age and age at marriage (±SD) of the 928 patients were 35.7 (±6.7) and 25.2 (±6.3) years, respectively. Of the total, 72.0% were obese and overweight, 26.6% reported a consanguineous marriage, and 12.5% were smokers. Secondary infertility (62.5%) was more frequent than primary infertility (37.5%). Primary infertility was inversely associated with age (aOR, 0.94, 95% CI: 0.91–0.98) and not being overweight (aOR, 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4–0.9) while positively associated with a nationality other than Middle Eastern nationality (aOR, 1.9, 95% CI: 1.1–3.3), married for ≤5 years (aOR, 6.0, 95% CI: 3.9–9.3), in a nonconsanguineous marriage (aOR, 2.4, 95% CI: 1.5–3.9), having a respiratory disease (aOR, 2.3, 95% CI: 1.1–4.6), an increased age at puberty (aOR, 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0–1.3), and self-reported 6–<12 months (aOR, 2.4, 95% CI: 1.2–5.1) and ≥12 months (aOR, 3.4, 95% CI: 1.8–6.4) infertility. Patients with primary infertility were more likely to be diagnosed with infertility of an ovulation, tubal, or uterine origin (aOR, 3.9, 95% CI: 1.9–7.9). Secondary infertility was more common than primary infertility. Several preventable fertility-related risk factors including overweight, smoking, and diabetes were found to be common among the fertility clinic attendees.

Keywords: infertility; pregnancy; reproductive health; primary infertility; conception (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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