Infertility and Seeking Medical Help to Have a Child Vary Across Migrant Origin Groups in Germany

This study investigates the extent to which immigrants in Germany are faced with infertility, and it examines their use of reproductive health-care services. Previous research on migrant fertility centered mostly on the higher fertility rates of immigrants and their adaptation processes, but has largely neglected infertility. At the same time, research on infertility in the European low-fertility context has focused almost exclusively on non-migrant populations. Our results indicate higher infertility and lower seeking of medical help among migrants as compared with non-migrants. However, there is substantial heterogeneity between different migrant groups: First-generation migrants show higher risks of infertility and lower use of medical help to get pregnant. The study also shows differences according to (parents’) regions of origin: Persons from Russia, Central Asia, and the Middle East (including Turkey) have a higher risk of perceiving infertility or uncertainty about it than other European origin groups. Those from Russia and Central Asia have the lowest use of medical help-seeking. These group differences cannot be explained by socioeconomic factors. Our results suggest that certain immigrant groups—despite having on average a higher number of children—face notable reproductive disadvantages, which deserve further attention in research on migrant fertility and assisted reproduction in general.