223 Women in Medicine: Career vs Family. Can we have both?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Women in healthcare are faced with unique challenges that may increase their risk of infertility including irregular work hours, occupational hazards due to radiation or chemicals, and advanced maternal age. Objective We sought to investigate live birth rates of female healthcare workers presenting with infertility compared to their non-healthcare counterparts. Methods After obtaining IRB approval, a retrospective review of all hospital employees (and their partners) presenting for a fertility evaluation between 2013-2019 was conducted. Patient age, BMI, history of previous live birth, occupation, use of assisted reproductive technology and female fertility factor were recorded. Couples with at least 12 months of follow up from initial presentation as well as a documented semen analysis were included in the study. Normal semen parameters were defined by the World Health Organization 2010 criteria. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with increased likelihood of live birth. Results Of the 934 female partners identified, 445 were healthcare workers and 489 non-healthcare workers. Female age, female BMI, smoking status, and history of previous live birth were not statistically significant between groups. No differences in male partner age, male BMI, semen parameters and presence of male factor were noted. Live birth rate was greater in female health care workers compared to non-healthcare workers, 76.1 vs. 69.6%, respectively, p=0.042. Conclusions In this cohort of hospital employees, female healthcare workers had a higher live birth rate despite no differences in age, BMI, rate of female factor infertility, use of assisted reproductive technology, or male partner factors. While no differences in fertility were noted for female health care workers in this study, further research is needed to identify subgroups within the healthcare population that may be at greater risk for infertility. Disclosure No