Geographic Disparities in Access to Assisted Reproductive Technology Centers in China: Spatial-Statistical Study

Abstract

Infertility is emerging as a significant public health issue, particularly in China. The travel time and associated costs frequently impose a substantial burden on Chinese infertility patients. In this study, we utilized a web-based path planning engine to assess and visually represent the accessibility and travel costs to Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) centers across mainland China. The distribution of ART centers in China is quite uneven. 76.8% of the population and 63.5% of the residential points were not accessible to an ART center within 1-hour. 76.8%, 39.5%, 70. 5%, 70. 5% and 41.7% of China's population can reach nearest ART center for Artificial Insemination by Husband, In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis in an hour respectively. The resulting "Travel Time Map to ART centers in China" can help to estimate whether individuals will seek ART healthcare when it is needed, as well as providing an evidence base for efficiently distributing limited ART resources to underserved populations both now and in the future.