Abstract
Background and objectives: Since 2009, the decline of the Greek economy has been in the spotlight of the world’s financial agenda. This study assesses the economic crisis’ impact on assisted reproduction demand dynamics. Materials and Methods: Patient records were recruited between 2005–2017. In 2013 the clinic proceeded with a cost reduction. The studied time-frames were defined accordingly: Period A: Prior to economic crisis, Period B: During the economic crisis-prior to cost reduction, and Period C: During the economic crisis-following cost reduction. Analysis focused on parameters reflecting on patient characteristics, decision to inquire on IVF treatment, embarking on it, and proceeding with multiple cycles. Results: The mean annual number of first visit patients was significantly decreased during Period B (1467.00 ± 119.21) in comparison to period A (1644.40 ± 42.57) and C (1637.8 ± 77.23). Furthermore, Period C in comparison to B and A, refers to women of more advanced age (37.27 ± 5.62 vs 36.04 ± 5.76 vs 35.53 ± 5.28), reporting a longer infertility period (8.49 ± 6.25 vs 7.01 ± 5.66 vs 6.46 ± 5.20), being inclined to abandon IVF treatment sooner (2.78 ± 2.51 vs 2.60 ± 1.92 vs 4.91 ± 2.28). Conclusions: A decline regarding assisted reproduction techniques (ART) demand was noted as anticipated. Redefining the cost of infertility treatments may contribute towards overcoming the troubling phenomenon of postponing pregnancy due to financial concerns.
Highlights
Economic recession is a term employed to describe an extensive period of declined economic activity [1]
Our results indicate that the mean number of patients yearly referring to our clinic was significantly decreased during Period B
Our results show that the mean number of attempts on IVF treatment during the economic crisis periods is reduced in comparison to the years prior to the economic crisis
Summary
Economic recession is a term employed to describe an extensive period of declined economic activity [1]. Since 2009 the Greek financial crisis has dominated the world’s economic agenda. The economic recession in Greece has been accompanied with unemployment, minimized wages and lower income, low inflation, and tighter credit availability. Gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010 was recorded at −3.5% with unemployment rates reaching 14.2% [2]. Since 2009, the decline of the Greek economy has been in the spotlight of the world’s financial agenda. This study assesses the economic crisis’ impact on assisted reproduction demand dynamics. Materials and Methods: Patient records were recruited between. Analysis focused on parameters reflecting on patient characteristics, decision to inquire on IVF treatment, embarking on it, and proceeding with multiple cycles. Results: The mean annual number of first visit patients was significantly decreased during Period B (1467.00 ± 119.21) in comparison to period A
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