diff --git a/pandas/conftest.py b/pandas/conftest.py
index 39b98ba175a15..4861082840b1d 100644
--- a/pandas/conftest.py
+++ b/pandas/conftest.py
@@ -416,6 +416,10 @@ def indices(request):
     return indices_dict[request.param].copy()
 
 
+# Needed to generate cartesian product of indices
+index_fixture2 = indices
+
+
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------
 # Series'
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/pandas/tests/indexes/test_setops.py b/pandas/tests/indexes/test_setops.py
index d0cbb2ab75f72..818d5474eddf5 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/indexes/test_setops.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/indexes/test_setops.py
@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@
 The tests in this package are to ensure the proper resultant dtypes of
 set operations.
 """
-import itertools as it
-
 import numpy as np
 import pytest
 
@@ -13,7 +11,6 @@
 from pandas import Float64Index, Int64Index, RangeIndex, UInt64Index
 import pandas._testing as tm
 from pandas.api.types import pandas_dtype
-from pandas.conftest import indices_dict
 
 COMPATIBLE_INCONSISTENT_PAIRS = {
     (Int64Index, RangeIndex): (tm.makeIntIndex, tm.makeRangeIndex),
@@ -23,14 +20,6 @@
 }
 
 
-@pytest.fixture(params=it.combinations(indices_dict, 2), ids="-".join)
-def index_pair(request):
-    """
-    Create all combinations of 2 index types.
-    """
-    return indices_dict[request.param[0]], indices_dict[request.param[1]]
-
-
 def test_union_same_types(indices):
     # Union with a non-unique, non-monotonic index raises error
     # Only needed for bool index factory
@@ -39,14 +28,15 @@ def test_union_same_types(indices):
     assert idx1.union(idx2).dtype == idx1.dtype
 
 
-def test_union_different_types(index_pair):
+def test_union_different_types(indices, index_fixture2):
+    # This test only considers combinations of indices
     # GH 23525
-    idx1, idx2 = index_pair
+    idx1, idx2 = indices, index_fixture2
     type_pair = tuple(sorted([type(idx1), type(idx2)], key=lambda x: str(x)))
     if type_pair in COMPATIBLE_INCONSISTENT_PAIRS:
         pytest.xfail("This test only considers non compatible indexes.")
 
-    if any(isinstance(idx, pd.MultiIndex) for idx in index_pair):
+    if any(isinstance(idx, pd.MultiIndex) for idx in (idx1, idx2)):
         pytest.xfail("This test doesn't consider multiindixes.")
 
     if is_dtype_equal(idx1.dtype, idx2.dtype):