JBRA Assisted Reproduction 2025;29(Suppl.2 SBRA 2025):110
Poster Presentation
29th Annual Congress of the SBRA. São Paulo/SP - Brazil, 2025
doi: 10.5935/1518-0557.20263737
P-98. Female Infertility in Northeastern Brazil's Interior: Insights from a Neglected and Underserved Population
Rebeca Paulina Duarte Queiroz1, Lícia Maria Alves de Souza2, Raíssa Carolina Dantas Mesquita de Medeiros1, Fabrícia Barroso Rodrigues1, Gerlane Modesto da Silva Balzani1
1 Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido UFERSA - Mossoró - RN - Brasil
2 Hospital Regional da Mulher Parteira Maria Correia - Mossoró - RN - Brasil
Objective: To describe the profile of women treated at an infertility clinic managed by the Brazilian Public Health System in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte and highlight the need to expand access to human reproduction in less-served regions.
Methods: This observational, cross-sectional, retrospective study analyzed 94 medical records of couples treated for conjugal infertility at an outpatient clinic operated by the Unified Health System (SUS) from March 2023 to November 2024. The analysis focused on women's clinical and sociodemographic variables, including age, ethnicity, level of education, access to private or public health services, infertility diagnosis, and sexual and reproductive health data, such as oncotic cytology and history of previous surgeries. The data were tabulated in spreadsheets and analyzed using descriptive statistics using Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the State University of Rio Grande do Norte, under opinion number 6.814.556.
Results: Patients were between 19 and 48 years old, with an average of 34.47 years. The predominant age range (34%) was 36 to 40 years old. In self-declared ethnicity, 59.6% identified themselves as brown, 7.4% as black, and 31.9% as white. 48% of participants had completed high school, indicating an intermediate level of education. 26% percent of patients had higher education or more, a percentage above the national average of 19.2%. This finding may indicate that women with higher levels of education are more likely to seek assisted reproduction services compared to the general population. 90.4% of women accessed the Unified Health System (SUS) exclusively, while 9.6% had private health insurance. Most cases (74.5%) were classified as primary infertility of the couple; secondary infertility was observed in 18.1% of cases; In 2.1% of cases, it was not possible to determine the classification. Furthermore, in 5.3% of cases, the concept of infertility did not apply. Regarding oncotic cytology or screening, also known as the Papanicolaou test (Pap test), 42.6% of participants did not report the status, 46.8% had up-to-date screening, 7.4% had outdated screening, and in 3.2%, the screening did not apply. 42.6% (40/94) reported having undergone surgical interventions, including tubal ligation.
Conclusion: Analysis of the medical records revealed that the predominant profile of the women studied corresponds to patients with a suspected diagnosis of primary infertility, highlighting the importance of assisted reproduction techniques in helping them achieve a viable pregnancy. These women use only the public health system and have never had access to such techniques. Most of these women have a high school or higher education level; however, there is no record of any recent gynecological examinations. The predominant age range is between 36 and 40 years old, with age being the main factor associated with infertility, although in some cases this condition is related to pathologies such as endometriosis and adenomyosis. A demand for assisted reproduction was also observed among women who had previously undergone tubal ligation. Furthermore, fertility preservation was never offered as an alternative in family planning for these women when they had greater reproductive potential.