HEALTH November 7, 2022 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 13 Race gap seen in U.S. infant deaths after fertility treatment RACIAL DISPARITIES. An embryologist uses a microscope to ex- amine an embryo, visible on a monitor, center, at a clinic in New York, in this October 3, 2013 file photo. Infant deaths are rare in the U.S., and the reasons for poor outcomes are unclear. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) By Carla K. Johnson The Associated Press B lack-white disparities exist in fertility medicine, reflected in life-and-death outcomes for babies, according to a large study of U.S. births. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, is the broadest look yet at racial gaps for women who use in vitro fertilization (IVF), fertility drugs, or other fertility treatments. Researchers found higher death rates for infants born to Black women who used such treatments than white women who did the same — a gap that is much wider than in babies born without those treatments. Infant deaths are rare in the U.S., and the reasons for poor outcomes are unclear. Researchers saw racial gaps even after adjusting for age, diabetes, obesity, smoking, and other maternal risk factors. The steep cost of IVF and the scarcity of insurance coverage means women getting fertility care are wealthier on average. The findings suggest women seeking fertility treatment are not protected from racism despite their relative affluence, said Dr. Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, head of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, San Diego medical school. “These women are still experiencing the same racism that might be causing poor outcomes in other pregnancies,” said Gyamfi-Bannerman, who was not involved in the study. “We all need to pay more attention and see how we can find a solution.” Black women who use fertility treatments may not be getting the highest quality care during pregnancy and after childbirth, said Dr. Michael A. Thomas, who recently became the first Black president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. “The IVF patients, they work so hard to get there that they don’t allow anything to stand in the way of that baby getting a good outcome,” said Thomas, who chairs the OB-GYN department at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. “But is the Black patient getting that same high-level, priority, concierge treatment?” The researchers thought women using fertility treat- ments might see less racial disparity in birth outcomes. “We were a bit surprised that this disparity was actually larger than in the general population,” said Dr. Sarka Lisonkova of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, who led the research. Her team analyzed data for more than 7 million U.S. births in 2016 and 2017, including more than 93,000 births resulting from fertility treatments. They looked only at single births, which carry less risk than twin or other multiple births. Household income was not analyzed because it was not available in the data. Deaths within four weeks after birth were four times Continued on page 15 As fentanyl drives overdose deaths, mistaken beliefs persist Continued from page 12 and measures to prevent overdoses for those who use drugs. The federal government has been funding efforts along those lines. It also publicizes big fentanyl seizures by law enforcement, though it’s believed that even the largest busts make small dents in the national drug supply. The commission stopped short of calling for increased penalties for selling fentanyl. Bryce Pardo, associate director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center and a commission staff member, said such a measure would not likely deter the drug trade. But, he said, dealers who sell the products most likely to cause death — such as mixing fentanyl into cocaine or pressing it into fake Xanax — could be targeted effectively. One California father who lost his 20-year-old daughter is pushing for prosecutors to file murder charges against those who supply fatal doses. Matt Capelouto’s daughter Alexandra died from half a pill she bought from a dealer she found on social media in 2019, while home in Temecula, California, during a college break. She was told the pill was oxycodone, Capelouto said, but it contained fentanyl. The dealer was charged with distri- buting fentanyl resulting in death, but he reached a plea deal on a lesser drug charge and will face up to 20 years in prison. “It’s not that arresting and convicting and putting these guys behind bars doesn’t work,” Capelouto said. “The fact is we don’t do it enough to make a difference.” While some people killed by fentanyl have no idea they’re taking it, others, par- ticularly those with opioid use disorder, know it is or could be in the mix. But they may not know how much is in their drugs. That was the case for Susan Ousterman’s son Tyler Cordiero, who died at age 24 in 2020 from a mixture that included fentanyl after years of using heroin and other opioids. For nearly two years, Ousterman avoided going by the gas station near their home in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, where her son fatally overdosed. But in August, she went to leave two things there: A 2022 Pulitzer Prize Finalist! naloxone, a drug used to reverse overdoses, and a poster advertising a hotline for people using drugs to call so the operator could call for help if they become unresponsive. Ousterman is funnelling her anger and sorrow into preventing other overdoses. “Fentanyl is everywhere,” she said. “You don’t know what’s in an unregulated drug supply. You don’t know what you’re taking. You’re always taking the chance of dying every time.” AP journalists Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington and Kavish Harjai in Los Angeles contributed. 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