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Does vasectomy explain the difference in tubal sterilization rates between black and white women?

Borrero S, Schwarz EB, Reeves MF, Bost JE, Creinin MD, Ibrahim SA

Divison of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Center for Health Equity and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the observed difference in tubal sterilization rates between black and white women is dependent on racial/ethnic differences in vasectomy rates. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of national, cross-sectional survey. SETTING: 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. PATIENT(S): Women 15 to 44 years old with a current partner who were able to provide information about their partner's vasectomy status. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The primary outcome was tubal sterilization. Among women with a current partner who had not undergone vasectomy, a multivariable logistic regression model was used to estimate the effects of race/ethnicity on tubal sterilization after adjusting for potential confounders. RESULT(S): Of the 3,391 women in the sample, 14% of white women had a current partner who had undergone vasectomy compared with 5% of Hispanic women and 4% of black women. Among the 3,064 women whose partners had not undergone vasectomy, black women were more likely to undergo tubal sterilization (odds ratio: 1.6; 95% confidence interval: 1.1, 2.2) on the basis of adjusted multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION(S): After controlling for partner vasectomy status, black women were still more likely to undergo tubal sterilization than white women.

Published 8 April 2008 in Fertil Steril.
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