Catastrophic payment for assisted reproduction techniques with conventional ovarian stimulation in the public health sector of South Africa: frequency and coping strategies.

Study Question: How often does out-of-pocket payment (OPP) for assisted reproduction techniques (ART) with conventional ovarian stimulation result in catastrophic expenditure for households?

Summary Answer: Catastrophic cost was a frequent event affecting 51% of the poorest study participants and one in five couples in total.

What Is Known Already: There is increasing concern about catastrophic spending on health by households in low resource settings, but to date no study has evaluated OPP for ART.

Study Design, Size, Duration: We conducted a prospective observational study comprising 135 couples undergoing ART between March 2009 and June 2011.