Occupation and the follow-up of infertile couples**Funded in part by the National Health Research and Development Program, National Department of Health and Welfare, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Project number 6606-2628-44) and in part by contract 91-R-515 from the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technology, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.††The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Department of Health and Welfare or the Royal Commission.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of socioeconomic factors on the outcomes of infertility, including pregnancy, adoption, resolution, and loss to follow-up. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Infertility clinics in 11 teaching hospitals. PATIENTS: Newly registered couples with infertility of > 1 year. INTERVENTIONS: Demographic, clinical, and occupational data were recorded at registration, and events including treatment, pregnancy, adoption, and resolution were recorded during up to 7 years of follow-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time to outcomes was evaluated by means of proportional hazards analyses with respect to the occurrence of conception of livebirth, adoption, resolution, or loss to follow-up. RESULTS: [1] The clinical predictors of pregnancy included duration of infertility, pregnancy history, female partner's age, diagnosis of tubal defect or endometriosis, and treatment; [2] the likelihood of livebirth was 1.38 times greater in partnerships with a male professional; [3] adoption was 1.64 times more likely with male professional partners; [4] loss to follow-up was 1.61 times more likely if the female partner was unemployed; and [5] the likelihood of resolution was unrelated to occupation or income variables. CONCLUSION: Socioeconomic factors, as expressed by occupation, are significantly associated with important outcomes among infertile couples.