Infertility affects approximately 1 in 6 women in the US, yet persistent racial inequities shape who is heard, who receives timely diagnosis and treatment, and who has the opportunity to build the family of their dreams. Black women are more likely to experience barriers to fertility care, delays in diagnosis, and poorer treatment outcomes, while their experiences have historically been underrepresented in research, clinical care, and public conversation.

The Fertility Equity Study seeks to better understand and address this issue by centering the lived experiences of Black women navigating infertility and family building challenges. Using a community-engaged approach, our team has conducted in-depth narrative interviews with Black women and surveyed nearly 200 Black women about their experiences with infertility, fertility care, and the social, structural, and health care factors that influence their reproductive journeys.

Findings from this work have been shared with Black women with lived experience, fertility specialists, community organizations, patient advocates, and other health care professionals to inform future research, clinical practice, advocacy, and policy. Through this work, we aim to amplify Black women's voices, generate actionable evidence, and advance equitable, person-centered fertility care so that all individuals have the opportunity to build the families they want and deserve.

This work has directly led to the development of the FertilityEquity™ training modules (linked below), which equip infertility clinic staff with the knowledge and tools to provide more equitable, compassionate, and patient-centered care for Black patients—and ultimately, for all patients. We have also begun developing a series of animated short videos inspired by the stories shared by Fertility Equity Study participants, bringing their lived experiences to life to foster greater understanding, empathy, and change. Watch our first video, Letting Go, below.