fertility journey. It is difficult for Black women in the US to achieve fertility due to racial disparities, adding to the emotional challenges associated with IVF.
According to an Axios article, “Black women may be twice as likely to have fertility challenges than white women, but cultural factors — underscored by new research — contribute to Black adults seeking treatment less and silently suffering more.”
When it comes to then seeking fertility treatment, there is a stigma that is still around IVF that dates back decades. Aside from cultural barriers, numerous Black women have shared that access to treatment is readily available for white women but not equally accessible for Black women.
In a piece with The Guardian, Rosario Ceballo, the dean of Georgetown University College of Arts and Sciences, stated “For a long time our social narratives about infertility centered on white, upper socioeconomic-class couples. And it was very focused on high-tech, highly-expensive medical interventions like IVF [in vitro fertilization].
There’s a real dichotomy between perceptions of women of color who just have too many babies, and white women whose ability to have babies we need to assist and support.”
Black women who decide to move forward with seeking IVF treatment are often hindered by the high cost, which can reach up to $25,000 per cycle.
Furthermore, the lack of Black male donors discourages many Black women from selecting IVF. The recent legal decision in Alabama has added yet another hurdle Black women face in obtaining access to this advanced fertility treatment.
The recent bill still requires further approval, but we hope it will spark a larger discussion about the ongoing lack of access faced by Black women, and the challenges they will inevitably face despite the outcome.