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Lindahl-Jacobsen R, Tavlo Petersson M, Priskorn L, Skakkebæk NE, Juul A, Kristensen DM, Eisenberg ML, Jensen TK. Time to pregnancy and life expectancy: a cohort study of 18 796 pregnant couples. Hum Reprod 2024; 39:595-603. [PMID: 38115232 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dead260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Is fecundity, measured as time to pregnancy (TTP), associated with mortality in parents? SUMMARY ANSWER Prolonged TTP is associated with increased mortality in both mothers and fathers in a dose-response manner. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Several studies have linked both male and female fecundity to mortality. In women, infertility has been linked to several diseases, but studies suggest that the underlying conditions, rather than infertility, increase mortality. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A prospective cohort study was carried out on 18 796 pregnant couples, in which the pregnant women attended prophylactic antenatal care between 1973 and 1987 at a primary and tertiary care unit. The couples were followed in Danish mortality registers from their child's birth date until death or until 2018. The follow-up period was up to 47 years, and there was complete follow-up until death, emigration or end of study. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS At the first antenatal visit, the pregnant women were asked to report the time to the current pregnancy. Inclusion was restricted to the first pregnancy, and TTP was categorised into <12 months, ≥12 months, not planned, and not available. In sub-analyses, TTP ≥12 was further categorized into 12-35, 36-60, and >60 months. Information for parents was linked to several Danish nationwide health registries. Survival analysis was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) with a 95% CI for survival and adjusted for age at the first attempt to become pregnant, year of birth, socioeconomic status, mother's smoking during pregnancy, and mother's BMI. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Mothers and fathers with TTP >60 months survived, respectively, 3.5 (95% CI: 2.6-4.3) and 2.7 (95% CI: 1.8-3.7) years shorter than parents with a TTP <12 months. The mortality was higher for fathers (HR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.09-1.34) and mothers (HR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.12-1.49) with TTP ≥12 months compared to parents with TTP <12 months. The risk of all-cause mortality during the study period increased in a dose-response manner with the highest adjusted HR of 1.98 (95% CI: 1.62-2.41) for fathers and 2.03 (95% CI: 1.56-2.63) for mothers with TTP >60 months. Prolonged TTP was associated with several different causes of death in both fathers and mothers, indicating that the underlying causes of the relation between fecundity and survival may be multi-factorial. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION A limitation is that fecundity is measured using a pregnancy-based approach. Thus, the cohort is conditioned on fertility success and excludes sterile couples, unsuccessful attempts and spontaneous abortions. The question used to measure TTP when the pregnant woman was interviewed at her first attended prophylactic antenatal care: 'From the time you wanted a pregnancy until it occurred, how much time passed?' could potentially have led to serious misclassification if the woman did not answer on time starting unprotected intercourse but on the start of wishing to have a child. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS We found that TTP is a strong marker of survival, contributing to the still-emerging evidence that fecundity in men and women reflects their health and survival potential. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) The authors acknowledge an unrestricted grant from Ferring. The funder was not involved in the study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of data, the writing of this article, or the decision to submit it for publication. M.L.E. is an advisor to Ro, VSeat, Doveras, and Next. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Lindahl-Jacobsen
- Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Biodemography, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
- Interdisciplinary Center on Population Dynamics (CPop), University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark
| | - M Tavlo Petersson
- Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Biodemography, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
- Interdisciplinary Center on Population Dynamics (CPop), University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark
| | - L Priskorn
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- International Center for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - N E Skakkebæk
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- International Center for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - A Juul
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- International Center for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - D M Kristensen
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Inserm (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale), Irset-Inserm UMR 1085, Rennes, France
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - M L Eisenberg
- Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, Departments of Urology and Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - T K Jensen
- Department of Public Health, Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Environmental Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
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Lai S, Wang R, van Wely M, Costello M, Farquhar C, Bensdorp AJ, Custers IM, Goverde AJ, Elzeiny H, Mol BW, Li W. IVF versus IUI with ovarian stimulation for unexplained infertility: a collaborative individual participant data meta-analysis. Hum Reprod Update 2024; 30:174-185. [PMID: 38148104 PMCID: PMC10905504 DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmad033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND IVF and IUI with ovarian stimulation (IUI-OS) are widely used in managing unexplained infertility. IUI-OS is generally considered first-line therapy, followed by IVF only if IUI-OS is unsuccessful after several attempts. However, there is a growing interest in using IVF for immediate treatment because it is believed to lead to higher live birth rates and shorter time to pregnancy. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing IVF versus IUI-OS had varied study designs and findings. Some RCTs used complex algorithms to combine IVF and IUI-OS, while others had unequal follow-up time between arms or compared treatments on a per-cycle basis, which introduced biases. Comparing cumulative live birth rates of IVF and IUI-OS within a consistent time frame is necessary for a fair head-to-head comparison. Previous meta-analyses of RCTs did not consider the time it takes to achieve pregnancy, which is not possible using aggregate data. Individual participant data meta-analysis (IPD-MA) allows standardization of follow-up time in different trials and time-to-event analysis methods. We performed this IPD-MA to investigate if IVF increases cumulative live birth rate considering the time leading to pregnancy and reduces multiple pregnancy rate compared to IUI-OS in couples with unexplained infertility. SEARCH METHODS We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility Group Specialised Register to identify RCTs that completed data collection before June 2021. A search update was carried out in January 2023. RCTs that compared IVF/ICSI to IUI-OS in couples with unexplained infertility were eligible. We invited author groups of eligible studies to join the IPD-MA and share the deidentified IPD of their RCTs. IPD were checked and standardized before synthesis. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Risk of Bias 2 tool. OUTCOMES Of eight potentially eligible RCTs, two were considered awaiting classification. In the other six trials, four shared IPD of 934 women, of which 550 were allocated to IVF and 383 to IUI-OS. Because the interventions were unable to blind, two RCTs had a high risk of bias, one had some concerns, and one had a low risk of bias. Considering the time to pregnancy leading to live birth, the cumulative live birth rate was not significantly higher in IVF compared to that in IUI-OS (4 RCTs, 908 women, 50.3% versus 43.2%, hazard ratio 1.19, 95% CI 0.81-1.74, I2 = 42.4%). For the safety primary outcome, the rate of multiple pregnancy was not significantly lower in IVF than IUI-OS (3 RCTs, 890 women, 3.8% versus 5.2% of all couples randomized, odds ratio 0.78, 95% CI 0.41-1.50, I2 = 0.0%). WIDER IMPLICATIONS There is no robust evidence that in couples with unexplained infertility IVF achieves pregnancy leading to live birth faster than IUI-OS. IVF and IUI-OS are both viable options in terms of effectiveness and safety for managing unexplained infertility. The associated costs of interventions and the preference of couples need to be weighed in clinical decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shimona Lai
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Rui Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Madelon van Wely
- Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology & Data Science, Amsterdam UMC, Location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Costello
- Women's Health, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales & Royal Hospital for Women and Monash IVF, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Cindy Farquhar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Alexandra J Bensdorp
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Inge M Custers
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Angelique J Goverde
- Department of Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Hossam Elzeiny
- Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne IVF, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ben W Mol
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Aberdeen Centre for Women's Health Research, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Wentao Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit (NPESU), Centre for Big Data Research in Health, and School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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van der Mijle AE, Woestenberg PJ, Kosse LJ, van Puijenbroek EP. The Dutch Pregnancy Drug Register: Suitable to Study Paternal Drug Exposures? Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023; 20:7107. [PMID: 38063537 PMCID: PMC10706075 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20237107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Paternal medication use around the time of conception is common, but information about its effects on pregnancy outcome and the health of the child is generally limited. The aim of this study is to examine the feasibility of studying paternal exposure in the Dutch Pregnancy Drug Register by using immunosuppressants as a proof of concept. In 113 of 15,959 pregnancies, long-term paternal immunosuppressant use was reported 3 months before conception. In total, 134 immunosuppressants were used. Pregnancy outcome was known for 54 cases and was in accordance with previous findings. Two spontaneous abortions, two premature births, six small for gestational age babies, and two major congenital malformations were reported. Time to pregnancy (TTP) was known for 9548 pregnancies, including 89 with paternal immunosuppressant use. TTP analysis did not show a difference in pregnancies with paternal immunosuppressant use compared to the control group. Moreover, the number of fertility treatments in the paternal immunosuppressant group was similar to the control group. In our opinion, it is feasible to use the Dutch Pregnancy Drug Register to study the effects of paternal exposure on pregnancy outcome. However, to study the potential effects on fertility, more information is needed, particularly since the beginning of pregnancy attempts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annerose E. van der Mijle
- Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, 5237 MH Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands; (P.J.W.); (L.J.K.); (E.P.v.P.)
| | - Petra J. Woestenberg
- Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, 5237 MH Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands; (P.J.W.); (L.J.K.); (E.P.v.P.)
| | - Leanne J. Kosse
- Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, 5237 MH Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands; (P.J.W.); (L.J.K.); (E.P.v.P.)
| | - Eugène P. van Puijenbroek
- Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, 5237 MH Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands; (P.J.W.); (L.J.K.); (E.P.v.P.)
- Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, PharmacoTherapy—Epidemiology & Economics, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
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Zhu X, Zhao J, Hong X, Zhang Y, Yang X, Zhang H, Zhang R, Wang Y, Xuan Y, Peng Z, Zhang Y, Wang Q, Shen H, Zhang Y, Yan D, Ma X, Wang B. The association between the maternal pre-pregnancy platelet count and fecundability in mainland China: a population-based cohort study. J Epidemiol 2023:JE20230191. [PMID: 37981320 DOI: 10.2188/jea.je20230191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Currently, awareness about platelet count (PC) and its consequences for perinatal outcome have increased, but there is little reliable evidence on fecundability. METHODS Based on the National Free Pre-conception Check-up Projects supported by the Chinese government, 5,524,886 couples met the inclusion criteria were included in this cohort study. Cox regression models were adopted to estimate fecundability ratios (FRs) and their 95% confidence intervals for pre-pregnancy PC quintiles. Restricted cubic splines were used to flexibly model and visualize the relationship of PC with FRs. Microsoft SQL server and R software were used for data management and analysis. RESULTS The median of pre-pregnancy PC among women was 221.00×109/L. The first (<177.00 ×109/L) and second quintile (177.00-207.99 ×109/L) of PC showed slightly increased fecundability (Q1: adjusted FR 1.05, 95% CI 1.04-1.06; Q2: adjusted FR 1.04, 95% CI 1.03-1.05), while higher quintals (Q4: 236.00-271.99 ×109/L; Q5: ≥272.00 ×109/L) were related to reduction of fecundability, when compared with the third quintile of PC (208.00-235.99 ×109/L) (Q4: adjusted FR 0.96, 95% CI 0.95-0.97; Q5: adjusted FR 0.88, 95% CI 0.87-0.89). In the first quintiles (<177.00×109/L), only 20.93% women had PC below 129.94×109/L. An inverse-U shape association was consistently observed among women such that the lower PC of normal range (<118.03×109/L) and higher PC (>223.06×109/L) were associated with the risk of reduced female fecundability (P for non-linearity < 0.01). CONCLUSION PC is associated with female fecundability. Further classification of PC levels may deepen our understanding of the early warnings and significance of female fecundability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyue Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Environment Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Sleep Disordered Breathing, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital
| | - Jun Zhao
- National Research Institute for Family Planning
- National Human Genetic Resources Center
| | - Xiang Hong
- Key Laboratory of Environment Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University
| | - Yue Zhang
- National Research Institute for Family Planning
- National Human Genetic Resources Center
| | - Xueying Yang
- National Research Institute for Family Planning
- National Human Genetic Resources Center
| | - Hongguang Zhang
- National Research Institute for Family Planning
- National Human Genetic Resources Center
| | - Rong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Environment Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- National Research Institute for Family Planning
- National Human Genetic Resources Center
| | - Yan Xuan
- Key Laboratory of Environment Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University
| | - Zuoqi Peng
- National Research Institute for Family Planning
- National Human Genetic Resources Center
| | - Ya Zhang
- National Research Institute for Family Planning
- National Human Genetic Resources Center
| | - Qiaomei Wang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China
| | - Haiping Shen
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China
| | - Yiping Zhang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China
| | - Donghai Yan
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China
| | - Xu Ma
- National Research Institute for Family Planning
- National Human Genetic Resources Center
| | - Bei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environment Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University
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Sima YT, Magnus MC, Kvalvik LG, Morken NH, Klungsøyr K, Skjærven R, Sørbye LM. The relationship between cesarean delivery and fecundability: a population-based cohort study. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2023:S0002-9378(23)00759-7. [PMID: 37863159 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have found that women with caesarean delivery have fewer pregnancies. Caesarean delivery is also more common among women with lower fecundability. The potential role of caesarean delivery on reduced fecundability is not known. OBJECTIVE To assess the bidirectional relationship between caesarean delivery and fecundability. STUDY DESIGN This is a prospective cohort study based on data from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort study linked with the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. We estimated the fecundability ratio (per cycle probability of pregnancy) and relative risk of infertility (time to pregnancy ≥ 12 months) according to mode of delivery in the previous delivery among 42,379 women. For the reverse association, we estimated the relative risk of having a caesarean delivery by fecundability (the number of cycles women needed to conceive) among 74,025 women. RESULTS The proportion of women with infertility was 6.2% (2711/43936) among women with prior vaginal delivery, and 8.6% (518/6036) among women with a prior caesarean delivery, yielding an adjusted relative risk of 1.21 (95% confidence interval: 1.10 to 1.33). Women with previous caesarean delivery also had lower fecundability ratio (0.90, 95% confidence interval 0.88 to 0.93), compared to women with prior vaginal delivery. When assessing the reverse association between fecundability and caesarean delivery, we found that women who did not conceive within 12 or more cycles had higher risk of caesarean delivery (adjusted relative risk 1.55, 95% confidence interval 1.46 to 1.64) compared to women who conceived within the first two cycles. Associations remained after controlling for sociodemographic and clinical risk factors and were observed across parity groups. CONCLUSION Among women with more than one child, those who had caesarean delivery had subsequent lower fecundability ratio and increased infertility risk compared to those who had vaginal delivery. However, women who needed longer time to conceive were also more prone to be delivered by caesarean delivery. We therefore found evidence of a bidirectional relationship between caesarean delivery and fecundability. This could be due to a common underlying explanatory mechanism, and the surgical procedure itself may not directly influence fecundability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeneabeba Tilahun Sima
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Liv Grimstvedt Kvalvik
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Nils-Halvdan Morken
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kari Klungsøyr
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Division of Mental and Physical Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rolv Skjærven
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Linn Marie Sørbye
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway; Norwegian Research Centre for Women's Health, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
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Carbone L, Landi D, Di Girolamo R, Anserini P, Centonze D, Marfia GA, Alviggi C. Optimizing the " Time to pregnancy" in women with multiple sclerosis: the OPTIMUS Delphi survey. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1255496. [PMID: 37869135 PMCID: PMC10588727 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1255496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The debate on how to manage women affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) during reproductive age is still open, as is the issue of fertility in such patients. Main issue regard the identification of the optimal window for pregnancy and how to deal with medical therapy before and during conception. The aim of this Delphi consensus was to collect the opinions of a multidisciplinary group, involving reproductive medicine specialists and neurologists with experience in the management of multiple sclerosis women with reproductive desire. Methods Four experts plus scientific coordinators developed a questionnaire distributed online to 10 neurologists and later discussed the responses and amended a list of statements. The statements were then distributed via an online survey to 23 neurologists (comprising the first 10), who voted on their level of agreement/disagreement with each statement. Consensus was achieved if agreement or disagreement with a statement exceeded 66%. Results Twenty-one statements reached consensus after two rounds of voting, leading to the following main recommendations: (1) Fertility evaluation should be suggested to wMS, in case of the need to shorten time to pregnancy and before treatment switch in women on DMTs contraindicated in pregnancy, particularly in case of highly active disease and age > 35 years. (2) ART should not be discouraged in wMS, but the use of DMTs until pregnancy confirmation should be suggested; ART may be considered in order to reduce time to pregnancy in MS women with a reduced ovarian reserve and/or age > 35 years, but in case of an expected poor ART prognosis and the need for more than one ART cycle, a switch to a high-efficacy DMD before ART should be offered. (3) Oocyte cryopreservation may be considered in women with reduced ovarian reserve, with unpredictable time to complete diagnostic workup and achieve disease control; a risk/cost-benefit analysis must be performed in women >35 years, considering the diminished ovarian reserve. Conclusion This consensus will help MS neurologists to support family planning in wMS, respecting MS therapeutic needs while also taking into account the safety and impact of advancing age on fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Carbone
- Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Doriana Landi
- Multiple Sclerosis Clinical and Research Unit, University Hospital of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Raffaella Di Girolamo
- Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Paola Anserini
- UOS Physiopathology of Human Reproduction, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Diego Centonze
- Department of Systems Medicine, Laboratory of Synaptic Immunopathology, “Tor Vergata” University, Rome, Italy
- Unit of Neurology, IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Isernia, Italy
| | | | - Carlo Alviggi
- Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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Jørgensen MD, Mikkelsen EM, Hatch EE, Rothman KJ, Wise LA, Sørensen HT, Laursen ASD. Socioeconomic status and fecundability in a Danish preconception cohort. Hum Reprod 2023; 38:1183-1193. [PMID: 37094974 PMCID: PMC10233268 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dead077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION To what extent is socioeconomic status (SES), as measured by educational attainment and household income, associated with fecundability in a cohort of Danish couples trying to conceive? SUMMARY ANSWER In this preconception cohort, lower educational attainment and lower household income were associated with lower fecundability after adjusting for potential confounders. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Approximately 15% of couples are affected by infertility. Socioeconomic disparities in health are well established. However, little is known about socioeconomic disparity and its relation to fertility. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This is a cohort study of Danish females aged 18-49 years who were trying to conceive between 2007 and 2021. Information was collected via baseline and bi-monthly follow-up questionnaires for 12 months or until reported pregnancy. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Overall, 10 475 participants contributed 38 629 menstrual cycles and 6554 pregnancies during a maximum of 12 cycles of follow-up. We used proportional probabilities regression models to estimate fecundability ratios (FRs) and 95% CIs. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Compared with upper tertiary education (highest level), fecundability was substantially lower for primary and secondary school (FR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.62-0.85), upper secondary school (FR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.79-1.00), vocational education (FR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.75-0.89), and lower tertiary education (FR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.80-0.95), but not for middle tertiary education (FR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.93-1.03). Compared with a monthly household income of >65 000 DKK, fecundability was lower for household income <25 000 DKK (FR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.72-0.85), 25 000-39 000 DKK (FR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.82-0.94), and 40 000-65 000 DKK (FR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.88-0.99). The results did not change appreciably after adjustment for potential confounders. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION We used educational attainment and household income as indicators of SES. However, SES is a complex concept, and these indicators may not reflect all aspects of SES. The study recruited couples planning to conceive, including the full spectrum of fertility from less fertile to highly fertile individuals. Our results may generalize to most couples who are trying to conceive. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Our results are consistent with the literature indicating well-documented inequities in health across socioeconomic groups. The associations for income were surprisingly strong considering the Danish welfare state. These results indicate that the redistributive welfare system in Denmark does not suffice to eradicate inequities in reproductive health. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) The study was supported by the Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (RO1-HD086742, R21-HD050264, and R01-HD060680). The authors declare no conflict of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Dahl Jørgensen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ellen M Mikkelsen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Elizabeth E Hatch
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth J Rothman
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Lauren A Wise
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Henrik Toft Sørensen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Anne Sofie Dam Laursen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
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Ao J, Qiu W, Huo X, Wang Y, Wang W, Zhang Q, Liu Z, Zhang J. Paraben exposure and couple fecundity: a preconception cohort study. Hum Reprod 2023; 38:726-738. [PMID: 36749105 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dead016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Is pre-conception exposure to parabens associated with fecundity in couples of childbearing age? SUMMARY ANSWER Paraben exposure in female partners was associated with reduced couple fecundity and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) might be one of the possible mediators. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY The reproductive toxicity of parabens, a class of widely used preservatives, has been suggested but evidence regarding their effects on couple fecundity is scarce. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION In this couple-based prospective cohort study, a total of 884 pre-conception couples who participated in the Shanghai Birth Cohort between 2013 and 2015 were included. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Concentrations of six parabens were measured in urine samples collected from couples. Malondialdehyde, C-reactive protein, and AMH were assessed in female partners. The outcomes included couple fecundability (time-to-pregnancy, TTP) and infertility (TTP > 12 menstrual cycles). Partner-specific and couple-based models were applied to estimate the associations. The joint effect of paraben mixture on couple fecundity was estimated by quantile-based g-computation (q-gcomp). Mediation analysis was used to assess the mediating roles of oxidative stress, inflammation and ovarian reserve. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE A total of 525 couples (59.4%) conceived spontaneously. In the partner-specific model, propyl paraben (PrP), butyl paraben (BuP), and heptyl paraben (HeP) in female partners were associated with reduced fecundability (fecundability odds ratio (95% CI): 0.96 (0.94-0.98) for PrP; 0.90 (0.87-0.94) for BuP; 0.42 (0.28-0.65) for HeP) and increased risk of infertility (rate ratio (95% CI): 1.06 (1.03-1.10) for PrP; 1.14 (1.08-1.21) for BuP; 1.89 (1.26-2.83) for HeP). Similar associations were observed in the couple-based model. AMH played a significant mediation role in the association (average causal mediation effect (95% CI): 0.001 (0.0001-0.003)). Paraben exposure in male partners was not associated with couple fecundity. The joint effect of paraben mixture on couple fecundity was non-significant. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Self-reported pregnancy and single urine sample may lead to misclassification. The mediation analysis is limited in that levels of sex hormones were not measured. The inclusion of women with irregular menstrual cycles might affect the results. It is possible that the observed association was due to reverse causation. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS This is the first study to assess the effects of paraben exposure on couple fecundity in Asians. Given the widespread exposure to parabens in couples of childbearing age, the present findings may have important public health implications. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41991314), the Shanghai Science and Technology Development Foundation (22YF1426700), the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (21410713500), and the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission (2020CXJQ01). All authors declare no conflict of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Ao
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Qiu
- School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaona Huo
- International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuqing Wang
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjuan Wang
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qianlong Zhang
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiwei Liu
- International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Zhong Y, Peng S, Chen Q, Huang D, Zhang G, Zhou Z. Preconceptional thyroid stimulating hormone level and fecundity: a community-based cohort study of time to pregnancy. Fertil Steril 2023; 119:313-321. [PMID: 36402618 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between preconception thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level and time to pregnancy within a community-based population. DESIGN A community-based cohort study. SETTING Two free preconception check-up centers. PATIENT(S) Women who enrolled in the National Free Preconception Check-up Projects from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 in Tianhe and Zengcheng districts of Guangzhou city. INTERVENTION(S) None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Time to pregnancy. RESULT(S) A total of 1,478 women were eligible for the analysis; of these, 1,401 had a preconception TSH level within the range of 0.50 and 5.59 mIU/L (2.5th-97.5th percentiles) were taken as target study population. Among them, 968 (69.1%) couples achieved pregnancy within the first 6 months and 1,082 (77.2%) within 12 months. Dichotomized by the recommended cut-off value of 2.5 mIU/L, the percentage of women conceived in the high TSH level category (2.50-5.59 mIU/L) was comparable to that of the low category (0.50-2.49 mIU/L) (79.0% vs. 78.1%), with a crude fecundity odd ratio of 0.99 (95% confidence interval at 0.87-1.13). No statistically significant difference was observed after the adjustment in all models. Continuous TSH level was further examined, and the nonlinear association between TSH level and fecundity odds ratios was of no statistical significance. CONCLUSION(S) Preconception TSH level was not associated with fecundity in a healthy community-based population. Women attempting pregnancy with a TSH level ≥ 2.5 mIU/L can be reassured that they are unlikely to have an increased time to pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanmin Zhong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Sujian Peng
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiujun Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Dongyin Huang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Guanglan Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Zehong Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China; Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
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11
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Rosen Vollmar AK, Weinberg CR, Baird DD, Wilcox AJ, Calafat AM, Deziel NC, Johnson CH, Jukic AMZ. Urinary phenol concentrations and fecundability and early pregnancy loss. Hum Reprod 2023; 38:139-155. [PMID: 36346334 PMCID: PMC10089295 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deac230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Are urinary phenol concentrations of methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, triclosan, benzophenone-3, 2,4-dichlorophenol or 2,5-dichlorophenol associated with fecundability and early pregnancy loss? SUMMARY ANSWER 2,5-dichlorophenol concentrations were associated with an increased odds of early pregnancy loss, and higher concentrations of butylparaben and triclosan were associated with an increase in fecundability. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Phenols are chemicals with endocrine-disrupting potential found in everyday products. Despite plausible mechanisms of phenol reproductive toxicity, there are inconsistent results across few epidemiologic studies examining phenol exposure and reproductive function in non-fertility treatment populations. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Specimens and data were from the North Carolina Early Pregnancy Study prospective cohort of 221 women attempting to conceive naturally from 1982 to 1986. This analysis includes data from 221 participants across 706 menstrual cycles, with 135 live births, 15 clinical miscarriages and 48 early pregnancy losses (before 42 days after the last menstrual period). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Participants collected daily first-morning urine specimens. For each menstrual cycle, aliquots from three daily specimens across the cycle were pooled within individuals and analyzed for phenol concentrations. To assess sample repeatability, we calculated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for each phenol. We evaluated associations between phenol concentrations from pooled samples and time to pregnancy using discrete-time logistic regression and generalized estimating equations (GEE), and early pregnancy loss using multivariable logistic regression and GEE. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE ICCs for within-person variability across menstrual cycles in pooled phenol concentrations ranged from 0.42 to 0.75. There was an increased odds of early pregnancy loss with 2,5-dichlorophenol concentrations although the CIs were wide (5th vs 1st quintile odds ratio (OR): 4.79; 95% CI: 1.06, 21.59). There was an increased per-cycle odds of conception at higher concentrations of butylparaben (OR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.08, 2.44) and triclosan (OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 0.99, 2.26) compared to non-detectable concentrations. No associations were observed between these endpoints and concentrations of other phenols examined. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Limitations include the absence of phenol measurements for male partners and a limited sample size, especially for the outcome of early pregnancy loss, which reduced our power to detect associations. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS This study is the first to use repeated pooled measures to summarize phenol exposure and the first to investigate associations with fecundability and early pregnancy loss. Within-person phenol concentration variability underscores the importance of collecting repeated samples for future studies. Exposure misclassification could contribute to differences between the findings of this study and those of other studies, all of which used one urine sample to assess phenol exposure. This study also contributes to the limited literature probing potential associations between environmental exposures and early pregnancy loss, which is a challenging outcome to study as it typically occurs before a pregnancy is clinically recognized. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This research was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (award number F31ES030594), the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (project numbers ES103333 and ES103086) and a doctoral fellowship at the Yale School of Public Health. The authors declare they have no competing interests to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana K Rosen Vollmar
- Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Clarice R Weinberg
- Biostatistics & Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle, NC, USA
| | - Donna D Baird
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle, NC, USA
| | - Allen J Wilcox
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle, NC, USA
| | - Antonia M Calafat
- Organic Analytical Toxicology Branch, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Nicole C Deziel
- Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Caroline H Johnson
- Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Anne Marie Z Jukic
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle, NC, USA
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Ku CW, Ku CO, Tay LPC, Xing HK, Cheung YB, Godfrey KM, Colega MT, Teo C, Tan KML, Chong YS, Shek LPC, Tan KH, Chan SY, Lim SX, Chong MFF, Yap F, Chan JKY, Loy SL. Dietary Supplement Intake and Fecundability in a Singapore Preconception Cohort Study. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14235110. [PMID: 36501137 PMCID: PMC9739604 DOI: 10.3390/nu14235110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Subfertility is a global problem affecting millions worldwide, with declining total fertility rates. Preconception dietary supplementation may improve fecundability, but the magnitude of impact remains unclear. This prospective cohort study aimed to examine the association of preconception micronutrient supplements with fecundability, measured by time to pregnancy (TTP). The study was conducted at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, between February 2015 and October 2017, on 908 women aged 18-45 years old, who were trying to conceive and were enrolled in the Singapore PREconception Study of long-Term maternal and child Outcomes (S-PRESTO). Baseline sociodemographic characteristics and supplement intake were collected through face-to-face interviews. The fecundability ratio (FR) was estimated using discrete-time proportional hazard modelling. Adjusting for potentially confounding variables, folic acid (FA) (FR 1.26, 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.56) and iodine (1.28, 1.00-1.65) supplement users had higher fecundability compared to non-users. Conversely, evening primrose oil supplement users had lower fecundability (0.56, 0.31-0.99) than non-users. In this study, preconception FA and iodine supplementation were associated with shortened TTP, while evening primrose oil use was associated with longer TTP. Nonetheless, the association between supplement use and the magnitude of fecundability changes will need to be further confirmed with well-designed randomised controlled trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chee Wai Ku
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore 229899, Singapore
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
| | - Chee Onn Ku
- Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117546, Singapore
| | - Liza Pui Chin Tay
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore 229899, Singapore
| | - Hui Kun Xing
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
| | - Yin Bun Cheung
- Program in Health Services & Systems Research and Center for Quantitative Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
- Tampere Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
| | - Keith M. Godfrey
- Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton National Health Service Foundation Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Marjorelee T. Colega
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 117609, Singapore
| | - Cherlyen Teo
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 117609, Singapore
| | - Karen Mei Ling Tan
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 117609, Singapore
| | - Yap-Seng Chong
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 117609, Singapore
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore 119228, Singapore
| | - Lynette Pei-Chi Shek
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 117609, Singapore
- Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore 119228, Singapore
- Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children’s Medical Institute, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore 119074, Singapore
| | - Kok Hian Tan
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
- Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore 229899, Singapore
| | - Shiao-Yng Chan
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 117609, Singapore
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore 119228, Singapore
| | - Shan Xuan Lim
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore 117549, Singapore
| | - Mary Foong-Fong Chong
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 117609, Singapore
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore 117549, Singapore
| | - Fabian Yap
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
- Department of Paediatrics, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore 229899, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 636921, Singapore
| | - Jerry Kok Yen Chan
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore 229899, Singapore
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
- Correspondence:
| | - See Ling Loy
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore 229899, Singapore
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
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Hong X, Yin J, Zhao F, Wang W, Ding X, Yu H, Wang B. Female fecundability is associated with pre-pregnancy allostatic load: Analysis of a Chinese cohort. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2022; 101:1300-1307. [PMID: 36128721 PMCID: PMC9812113 DOI: 10.1111/aogs.14443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Allostatic load (AL) is a practical index that reflects multi-system physiological changes which occur in response to chronic psychosocial stress. This study investigated the association between female pre-pregnancy allostatic load and time to pregnancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS We enrolled 444 women who met the inclusion criteria and were attempting to achieve pregnancy. Their allostatic load scores at baseline were evaluated by nine indicators (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, plasma cortisol, noradrenaline, interleukin-6, hypersensitive C-reactive protein, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and body mass index). The participants were followed up and their pregnancy outcome ascertained 1 year later; we then calculated time-to-pregnancy. Cox models were used to estimate fecundability ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for different allostatic load scores. RESULTS The median allostatic load score was 1 with a range of 0-6. The females were divided into four groups according to allostatic load score: group A (allostatic load = 0, 150/444, 33.8%), group B (allostatic load = 1-2, 156/444, 35.1%), group C (allostatic load = 3-4, 100/444, 22.5%) and group D (allostatic load = 5-6, 38/444, 8.6%). The cumulative pregnancy rate over 12 months for the four groups (A-D) was 55.4%, 44.5%, 50.9% and 26.9%, respectively (log-rank test, p = 0.042). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, group D showed a 59% reduction of fecundability compared with group A (fecundability ratio = 0.41, 95% CI 0.21-0.83). CONCLUSIONS Women with a higher allostatic load score may have lower fecundability. Our findings suggest that the assessment of allostatic load during pre-conception consultation would be highly prudent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Hong
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Health StatisticsSchool of Public Health, Southeast UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Jiechen Yin
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Health StatisticsSchool of Public Health, Southeast UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Fanqi Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Health StatisticsSchool of Public Health, Southeast UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Health StatisticsSchool of Public Health, Southeast UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Xiaoling Ding
- Maternal and Child Health Center of Gulou DistrictNanjingChina
| | - Hong Yu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhong Da Hospital, School of MedicineSoutheast UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Bei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Health StatisticsSchool of Public Health, Southeast UniversityNanjingChina
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Siegel EL, Ghassabian A, Hipwell AE, Factor-Litvak P, Zhu Y, Steinthal HG, Focella C, Battaglia L, Porucznik CA, Collingwood SC, Klein-Fedyshin M, Kahn LG. Indoor and outdoor air pollution and couple fecundability: a systematic review. Hum Reprod Update 2022; 29:45-70. [PMID: 35894871 PMCID: PMC9825271 DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmac029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Air pollution is both a sensory blight and a threat to human health. Inhaled environmental pollutants can be naturally occurring or human-made, and include traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), ozone, particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds, among other substances, including those from secondhand smoking. Studies of air pollution on reproductive and endocrine systems have reported associations of TRAP, secondhand smoke (SHS), organic solvents and biomass fueled-cooking with adverse birth outcomes. While some evidence suggests that air pollution contributes to infertility, the extant literature is mixed, and varying effects of pollutants have been reported. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE Although some reviews have studied the association between common outdoor air pollutants and time to pregnancy (TTP), there are no comprehensive reviews that also include exposure to indoor inhaled pollutants, such as airborne occupational toxicants and SHS. The current systematic review summarizes the strength of evidence for associations of outdoor air pollution, SHS and indoor inhaled air pollution with couple fecundability and identifies gaps and limitations in the literature to inform policy decisions and future research. SEARCH METHODS We performed an electronic search of six databases for original research articles in English published since 1990 on TTP or fecundability and a number of chemicals in the context of air pollution, inhalation and aerosolization. Standardized forms for screening, data extraction and study quality were developed using DistillerSR software and completed in duplicate. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess risk of bias and devised additional quality metrics based on specific methodological features of both air pollution and fecundability studies. OUTCOMES The search returned 5200 articles, 4994 of which were excluded at the level of title and abstract screening. After full-text screening, 35 papers remained for data extraction and synthesis. An additional 3 papers were identified independently that fit criteria, and 5 papers involving multiple routes of exposure were removed, yielding 33 articles from 28 studies for analysis. There were 8 papers that examined outdoor air quality, while 6 papers examined SHS exposure and 19 papers examined indoor air quality. The results indicated an association between outdoor air pollution and reduced fecundability, including TRAP and specifically nitrogen oxides and PM with a diameter of ≤2.5 µm, as well as exposure to SHS and formaldehyde. However, exposure windows differed greatly between studies as did the method of exposure assessment. There was little evidence that exposure to volatile solvents is associated with reduced fecundability. WIDER IMPLICATIONS The evidence suggests that exposure to outdoor air pollutants, SHS and some occupational inhaled pollutants may reduce fecundability. Future studies of SHS should use indoor air monitors and biomarkers to improve exposure assessment. Air monitors that capture real-time exposure can provide valuable insight about the role of indoor air pollution and are helpful in assessing the short-term acute effects of pollutants on TTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva L Siegel
- Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Alison E Hipwell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Pam Factor-Litvak
- Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yeyi Zhu
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA
| | | | - Carolina Focella
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lindsey Battaglia
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Linda G Kahn
- Correspondence address. E-mail: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6512-6160
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Zhang Y, Jukic AMZ, Song H, Zhang L, Yang F, Wu S, Yin D, Jiang H. Serum Vitamin D Concentrations, Time to Pregnancy, and Pregnancy Outcomes among Preconception Couples: A Cohort Study in Shanghai, China. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14153058. [PMID: 35893912 PMCID: PMC9330297 DOI: 10.3390/nu14153058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The role of vitamin D in reproductive health is still unclear. This study aimed to assess the effect of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), among preconception couples, on fecundity, and the associations between 25(OH)D concentrations before and during pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes. METHODS 200 preconception couples attempting to conceive were recruited and were followed-up until childbirth. Time to pregnancy was collected via telephone every two months or obtained via a questionnaire during pregnancy. Blood samples were collected to measure serum 25(OH)D levels from both partners at enrollment and from women during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. RESULTS Couples had higher conception rates within six months (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 3.72, 95% CI: 1.16, 11.9) and reduced time to pregnancy (adjusted fecundability ratio (aFR): 1.50, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.23) if male partners had sufficient 25(OH)D compared with insufficient 25(OH)D. Compared to pregnant women with insufficient 25(OH)D in the third trimester of pregnancy, sufficient 25(OH)D was associated with reduced odds of anemia (OR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.82), longer gestational age (β: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.04, 1.01) and newborns' higher ponderal index (β: 0.10, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.19). CONCLUSIONS Sufficient serum 25(OH)D levels among preconception men or during pregnancy were associated with better reproductive health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- School of Public Health, National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (Y.Z.); (H.S.)
- Vital Statistics Department, Songjiang District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 201600, China
| | - Anne Marie Z. Jukic
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA;
| | - Heqing Song
- School of Public Health, National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (Y.Z.); (H.S.)
| | - Lifeng Zhang
- Shanghai Jiading Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Shanghai 201812, China; (L.Z.); (F.Y.); (S.W.); (D.Y.)
| | - Fengyun Yang
- Shanghai Jiading Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Shanghai 201812, China; (L.Z.); (F.Y.); (S.W.); (D.Y.)
| | - Shoule Wu
- Shanghai Jiading Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Shanghai 201812, China; (L.Z.); (F.Y.); (S.W.); (D.Y.)
| | - Dongxiao Yin
- Shanghai Jiading Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Shanghai 201812, China; (L.Z.); (F.Y.); (S.W.); (D.Y.)
| | - Hong Jiang
- School of Public Health, National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; (Y.Z.); (H.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel./Fax: +86-021-64179976
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Loy SL, Chan DWK, Ku CW, Cheung YB, Godfrey KM, Tan KML, Chong YS, Shek LPC, Tan KH, Chan SY, Chan JKY, Yap F. Metabolic health status and fecundability in a Singapore preconception cohort study. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2022; 226:714.e1-714.e16. [PMID: 34921802 PMCID: PMC7612690 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2021.11.1374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obesity compromises metabolic health and female fertility, yet not all obese women are similar in metabolic status. The extent to which fecundability is influenced by the metabolic health status of women who are overweight or obese before conception is unknown. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to: (1) determine the metabolic health status, and (2) examine the association between metabolic health status and fecundability of overweight and obese women trying to conceive in the Singapore PREconception Study of long-Term maternal and child Outcomes cohort study. STUDY DESIGN We conducted a prospective preconception cohort study of Asian women (Chinese, Malay, and Indian) aged 18 to 45 years trying to conceive who were treated from 2015 to 2017 in KK Women's and Children's Hospital in Singapore (n=834). We defined women to have metabolically unhealthy status if they: (1) met 3 or more modified Joint Interim Statement metabolic syndrome criteria; or (2) had homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index ≥2.5. Body mass index was categorized as normal (18.5-22.9 kg/m2), overweight (23-27.4 kg/m2), or obese (≥27.5 kg/m2) on the basis of cutoff points for Asian populations. Fecundability was measured by time to pregnancy in menstrual cycles within a year of enrolment. Discrete-time proportional hazards models were used to estimate fecundability odds ratios, with adjustment for confounders and accounting for left truncation and right censoring. RESULTS Of 232 overweight women, 28 (12.1%) and 25 (10.8%) were metabolically unhealthy by metabolic syndrome ≥3 criteria and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance ≥2.5, respectively. Of 175 obese women, 54 (30.9%) and 93 (53.1%) were metabolically unhealthy by metabolic syndrome ≥3 criteria and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance ≥2.5, respectively. Compared with metabolically healthy normal-weight women, lower fecundability was observed in metabolically unhealthy overweight women on the basis of metabolic syndrome criteria (fecundability odds ratios, 0.38 [95% confidence interval, 0.15-0.92]) and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (fecundability odds ratios, 0.68 [95% confidence interval, 0.33-1.39]), with metabolic syndrome criteria showing a stronger association. Metabolically unhealthy obese women showed lower fecundability than the healthy normal-weight reference group by both metabolic syndrome (fecundability odds ratios, 0.35; 95% confidence interval, 0.17-0.72) and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance criteria (fecundability odds ratios, 0.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-0.71). Reduced fecundability was not observed in overweight or obese women who showed healthy metabolic profiles by either definition. CONCLUSION Overweight or obesity was not synonymous with having metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance. In our preconception cohort, metabolically unhealthy overweight and obese women showed reduced fecundability, unlike their counterparts who were metabolically healthy. These findings suggest that metabolic health status, rather than simply being overweight and obese per se, plays an important role in fecundability.
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Affiliation(s)
- See Ling Loy
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore; Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
| | | | - Chee Wai Ku
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yin Bun Cheung
- Program in Health Services & Systems Research and Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; Tampere Centre for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Keith M Godfrey
- Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton National Health Service Foundation Trust, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | | | - Yap-Seng Chong
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore; Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lynette Pei-Chi Shek
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore; Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore; Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kok Hian Tan
- Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shiao-Yng Chan
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jerry Kok Yen Chan
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore; Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Fabian Yap
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Pediatrics, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore; Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
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17
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Lokken EM, Pulei A, Oyaro B, Nyaigero M, Jaoko W, Mandaliya K, Kinuthia J, McClelland RS. Vaginal washing behaviour and fecundability among Kenyan women in a prospective preconception cohort. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2022; 36:205-210. [PMID: 35041230 PMCID: PMC9635115 DOI: 10.1111/ppe.12864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intravaginal washing, practised by a significant proportion of women globally, is associated with acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), sexually transmitted infections and bacterial vaginosis (BV). A single prior study among women in the United States found that vaginal washing was associated with lower fecundability. OBJECTIVE To examine the association between vaginal washing and fecundability among Kenyan women. METHODS HIV-negative Kenyan women who were trying to conceive and reported no history of infertility care-seeking were followed prospectively for incident pregnancy for up to six months. At monthly visits, participants reported the first day of last menstrual period, sexual behaviour, vaginal washing behaviour, underwent pregnancy testing and provided vaginal swabs for detection of BV by Gram stain (Nugent score ≥7). Discrete time proportional probability models were used to estimate fecundability ratio (FR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) comparing menstrual cycles when women reported vaginal washing to menstrual cycles when no vaginal washing was reported. RESULTS Four hundred and fifty-eight women contributed 1,376 menstrual cycles and 255 pregnancies. At enrolment, a third (35.2%, 161 of 458) of participants reported vaginal washing with the majority using water only (73.9%, 119 of 161). After adjustment for age, frequency of unprotected intercourse and study site, vaginal washing in the prior four weeks was associated with a 29% lower fecundability (adjusted FR [aFR] 0.71, 95% CI 0.53, 0.94), which did not change after further adjustment for BV at the visit prior to each pregnancy test (aFR 0.71, 95% CI 0.54, 0.95). CONCLUSIONS Periconceptual vaginal washing may reduce fecundability. Potential mechanisms include vaginal washing-associated changes in the vaginal microbiota, inflammation, disruption of cervical mucus and effects on sperm function. Vaginal washing has no known health benefits, and cessation may improve women's likelihood of conceiving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica M Lokken
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Anne Pulei
- Department of Human Anatomy, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Nairobi, Kenya,Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Brenda Oyaro
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA,Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Maureen Nyaigero
- Research and Programs, Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Walter Jaoko
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - John Kinuthia
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA,Research and Programs, Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya,Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - R Scott McClelland
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA,Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA,Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya,Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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18
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Madvig F, Pedersen MK, Urhoj SK, Bräuner EV, Jørgensen N, Priskorn L. Anogenital distance, male factor infertility and time to pregnancy. Andrology 2022; 10:686-693. [PMID: 35178873 PMCID: PMC9306635 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anogenital distance (AGD), the distance between the anus and genitals, is in rodents a well-established marker of early androgen action and has been suggested to be so in humans as well. Thus, a link between human AGD and semen quality and potentially fecundity may exist. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the association between AGD and male factor infertility and among proven fertile men also time to pregnancy (TTP). MATERIAL AND METHODS All included men were recruited from and examined at Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark (N=388). Men with impaired semen quality were included from infertile couples (N=128), and men with naturally conceived pregnant partners were invited to participate when their partners had their routine second trimester examination (N=260). All men underwent a physical examination, completed a questionnaire (including TTP for the fertile men), delivered a semen sample and had a blood sample drawn. The primary exposure was AGDAS measured from the centre of the anus to the posterior base of the scrotum. Associations between AGD and fertility status as well as between AGD and TTP among the fertile men were calculated using multiple logistic regression adjusted for covariates. RESULTS AGD did not show a statistically significant association with fertility status. In adjusted logistic regression models, the odds of infertility per 1 cm increase in AGDAS was 1.02 (95% CI: 0.88; 1.19). Amongst fertile men, a 1 cm increase in AGDAS was associated with an 8% non-statistically significantly reduced odds of having a longer (>3months) TTP (adjusted OR= 0.92, 95%CI: 0.76-1.11). CONCLUSION Our study showed that the clinical application of AGD as a predictor of fertility and fecundity seems to be limited as no associations were observed between AGD and fertility status, nor was the decreased risk of experiencing a longer TTP with longer AGDAS statistically significant. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Madvig
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,International Center for Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M K Pedersen
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,International Center for Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - S K Urhoj
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - E V Bräuner
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,International Center for Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - N Jørgensen
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,International Center for Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - L Priskorn
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,International Center for Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Alahmar AT, Naemi R. Predictors of pregnancy and time to pregnancy in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenospermia pre- and post-coenzyme Q10 therapy. Andrologia 2022; 54:e14385. [PMID: 35102599 PMCID: PMC9286548 DOI: 10.1111/and.14385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Different antioxidants including coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) have been tried to treat idiopathic male infertility (IMI) with variable results. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the clinical and biochemical predictors of pregnancy outcome and time to pregnancy (TTP) in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenospermia (OA) pre‐ and post‐CoQ10 therapy. This prospective controlled clinical study included 178 male patients with idiopathic OA and 84 fertile men (controls). Patients received 200 mg of oral CoQ10 once daily for 6 months. Demographics, semen parameters, seminal CoQ10 levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) and body mass index were measured and compared at baseline and after 6 months. All participants were followed up for another 18 months for pregnancy outcome and TTP. CoQ10 therapy for 6 months significantly improved semen parameters, antioxidant measures and reduced SDF. The pregnancy rate was 24.2% and TTP was 20.52 ± 6.72 months in patients as compared to 95.2% and 5.73 ± 6.65 months in fertile controls. After CoQ10 therapy, CoQ10 level, sperm concentration, motility and ROS were independent predictors of pregnancy outcome and CoQ10 level, male age, sperm concentration, motility, ROS and GPx were independent predictors of TTP in patients. In conclusion, CoQ10 therapy of 6 months is a potential treatment for men with idiopathic OA. CoQ10 level, male age, semen parameters, ROS and GPx could potentially be used as diagnostic biomarkers for male fertility and predictors for pregnancy outcome and TTP in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed T Alahmar
- College of Medicine, University of Babylon, Hillah, Iraq.,School of Health, Science and Wellbeing, Science Centre, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
| | - Roozbeh Naemi
- School of Health, Science and Wellbeing, Science Centre, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
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20
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Purdue-Smithe AC, Kim K, Schliep KC, DeVilbiss EA, Hinkle SN, Ye A, Perkins NJ, Sjaarda LA, Silver RM, Schisterman EF, Mumford SL. Preconception caffeine metabolites, caffeinated beverage intake, and fecundability. Am J Clin Nutr 2022; 115:1227-1236. [PMID: 35030239 PMCID: PMC8970989 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Caffeine is the most frequently used psychoactive substance in the United States and >90% of reproductive-age women report some amount of intake daily. Despite biological plausibility, previous studies on caffeine and fecundability report conflicting results. Importantly, prior studies measured caffeine exposure exclusively by self-report, which is subject to measurement error and does not account for factors that influence caffeine metabolism. OBJECTIVES Our objective was to examine associations between preconception serum caffeine metabolites, caffeinated beverage intake, and fecundability. METHODS Participants included 1228 women aged 18-40 y with a history of 1-2 pregnancy losses in the EAGeR (Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction) trial. We prospectively evaluated associations of preconception caffeine metabolites (i.e., caffeine, paraxanthine, and theobromine) measured from 1191 serum samples untimed to a specific time of day, self-reported usual caffeinated beverage intakes at baseline, and time-varying cycle-average caffeinated beverage intake, with fecundability. Using Cox proportional hazards models, we estimated fecundability odds ratios (FORs) and 95% CIs according to each metabolite. Follow-up was complete for 89% (n = 1088) of participants. RESULTS At baseline, 85%, 73%, and 91% of women had detectable serum caffeine, paraxanthine, and theobromine, respectively. A total of 797 women became pregnant during ≤6 cycles of preconception follow-up. After adjusting for potential confounders, neither serum caffeine [tertile (T)3 compared with T1 FOR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.71, 1.08], paraxanthine (T3 compared with T1 FOR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.75, 1.14), nor theobromine (T3 compared with T1 FOR: 1.15; 95% CI: 0.95, 1.40) were associated with fecundability. Baseline intake of total caffeinated beverages was not associated with fecundability (>3 compared with 0 servings/d adjusted FOR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.74, 1.34), nor was caffeinated coffee (>2 compared with 0 servings/d adjusted FOR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.45, 1.92) or caffeinated soda (>2 servings/d adjusted FOR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.71, 1.20). CONCLUSIONS Our findings are reassuring that caffeine exposure from usual low to moderate caffeinated beverage intake likely does not influence fecundability.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00467363.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra C Purdue-Smithe
- Division of Women's Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Keewan Kim
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Karen C Schliep
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Elizabeth A DeVilbiss
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Stefanie N Hinkle
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Aijun Ye
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Neil J Perkins
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lindsey A Sjaarda
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Robert M Silver
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Enrique F Schisterman
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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21
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Favaro C, Pearson JT, Rowland SP, Jukic AM, Chelstowska M, Berglund Scherwitzl E, Scherwitzl R, Gemzell Danielsson K, Harper J. Time to Pregnancy for Women Using a Fertility Awareness Based Mobile Application to Plan a Pregnancy. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2021; 30:1538-1545. [PMID: 34495761 PMCID: PMC8917888 DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2021.0026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Time to pregnancy (TTP) is a biomarker of fecundability and has been associated with behavioral and environmental characteristics; however, these associations have not been examined in a large population-based sample of application (app) users. Materials and Methods: This observational study followed 5,376 women with an age range of 18 to 45 years who used an app to identify their fertile window. We included women who started trying to conceive between September 30, 2017 and August 31, 2018. TTP was calculated as the number of menstrual cycles from when the user switched to “Plan” mode up to and including the cycle in which they logged a positive pregnancy test. We examined associations with several characteristics, including age, gravidity, body mass index, cycle length and cycle length variation, frequency of sexual intercourse, and temperature measuring frequency. Discrete time fecundability models were used to estimate fecundability odds ratios. Results: For the complete cohort the 6-cycle and 12-cycle cumulative pregnancy probabilities were found to be 61% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 59–62) and 74% (95% CI: 73–76), respectively. The median TTP was four cycles. The highest fecundability was associated with an age of less than 35 years, with cycle length variation <5 days and logging sexual intercourse on at least 20% of days added (the proportion of days in which intercourse was logged) (11.5% [n = 613] of entire sample). This group achieved a 6- and 12-cycle cumulative pregnancy probability of 88% (95% CI: 85–91) and 95% (95% CI: 94–97), respectively, and a TTP of 2 cycles. Conclusions: Natural Cycles was an effective method of identifying the fertile window and a noninvasive educational option for women planning a pregnancy. Women under age 35 with regular cycles showed a high pregnancy rate.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Anne Marie Jukic
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Joyce Harper
- Reproductive Science and Society Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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22
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Xing M, Gu S, Wang X, Mao G, Mo Z, Lou X, Li X, Huang X, Wang Y, Wang Z. Low Iodine Intake May Decrease Women's Fecundity: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients 2021; 13:3056. [PMID: 34578933 DOI: 10.3390/nu13093056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Salt iodization is one of the most cost-effective strategies to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). However, China’s dismantling of salt monopoly has reduced the availability of iodized salt in the susceptible population in pregnancy, which might cause IDD and have adverse health effects on both themselves and their offspring. The aim of our study was therefore to explore the association between IDD and women’s reproductive health. This is a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in 2018 in Zhejiang Province, China. A total of 1653 pregnant women participated in this study. Median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) in the population was used to assess iodine intake. Cox regression analyses were used to estimate the association between iodine intake and time to pregnancy, which was indicated with fecundability ratio (FR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The percentage of participants with iodine deficiency who had been waiting longer than 13 months to get pregnant (20%; median UIC 119.6 μg/L) was significantly higher than those with iodine sufficiency (14%; median UIC 147.1 μg/L). A significant decrease in fecundity was observed in participants with iodine deficiency (FR, 0.820; 95% CI, 0.725−0.929) than those with iodine sufficiency. These findings indicate the importance of ongoing monitoring of iodine nutrition in women of reproductive age. Keeping a safe and optimal level of iodine nutrition during pregnancy should be emphasized.
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23
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Bond JC, Wise LA, Willis SK, Yland JJ, Hatch EE, Rothman KJ, Heaton B. Self-reported periodontitis and fecundability in a population of pregnancy planners. Hum Reprod 2021; 36:2298-2308. [PMID: 33822056 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deab058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Is a history of periodontitis among women associated with reduced fecundability? SUMMARY ANSWER A history of periodontitis, as assessed by three different self-reported measures, may be associated with reduced fecundability. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the hard and soft tissues surrounding the teeth. Few studies have evaluated the association between periodontitis and time to pregnancy, and findings are mixed. It is hypothesized that periodontitis may adversely affect time to pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We conducted a prospective cohort study of 2764 female pregnancy planners residing in North America (March 2015-June 2020). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Eligible participants had been attempting pregnancy for six or fewer menstrual cycles at enrollment and were not using fertility treatment. Women answered questions about their oral health. Pregnancy was ascertained via bi-monthly follow-up questionnaires. We used proportional probabilities regression models to estimate fecundability ratios (FRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for three different measures indicative of a history of periodontitis: ever diagnosed with periodontitis (N = 265), ever received treatment for periodontitis (N = 299), and ever had an adult tooth become loose on its own (N = 83). We adjusted for potential confounders and precision variables. Women at risk of misclassification of periodontitis diagnosis due to pregnancy-related gingivitis were reclassified in a sensitivity analysis. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE All three indices of periodontitis may be associated with reduced fecundability. FRs were 0.89 (95% CI 0.75-1.06) comparing women with and without a previous periodontitis diagnosis, 0.79 (95% CI 0.67-0.94) comparing women with and without previous periodontitis treatment, and 0.71 (95% CI 0.44-1.16) comparing women with and without a tooth that became loose. After reclassification of pregnancy-related gingivitis in the sensitivity analysis, the FR for periodontitis diagnosis was 0.83 (95% CI 0.68-1.00). Weaker FRs were observed among parous women as compared with nulliparous women for periodontitis diagnosis and tooth becoming loose, but not for periodontitis treatment. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Though we used validated self-report measures of periodontitis, clinical confirmation is the gold standard. These questions may be functioning as markers of different levels of periodontitis severity, but we were unable to measure disease severity in this population. Finally, we cannot eliminate the possibility of unmeasured confounding. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS This is the first preconception prospective cohort study to evaluate the association between self-reported periodontitis and fecundability. Our results indicate that periodontitis may be associated with lower fecundability. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was partially funded by R01HD086742/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and R21HD072326/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. PRESTO has received in-kind donations from Swiss Precision Diagnostics, Sandstone Diagnostics, FertilityFriend.com, and Kindara.com for primary data collection. L.A.W. is a fibroid consultant for AbbVie, Inc. J.C.B., S.W., J.Y., K.J.R., E.E.H., and B.H. have no conflicts of interest to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C Bond
- Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research, Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - L A Wise
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - S K Willis
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J J Yland
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - E E Hatch
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - K J Rothman
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.,RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - B Heaton
- Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research, Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Ahrenfeldt LJ, Möller S, Wensink MJ, Eisenberg ML, Christensen K, Jensen TK, Lindahl-Jacobsen R. Impaired fecundity as a marker of health and survival: a Danish twin cohort study. Hum Reprod 2021; 36:2309-2320. [PMID: 34009293 PMCID: PMC8496092 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deab077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Is fecundity, measured as self-reported time to first pregnancy (TTP), a marker for subsequent health and survival? SUMMARY ANSWER Long TTP was a marker for increased mortality among women and higher hospitalization rates for both women and men. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Poor semen quality has been linked to increased mortality and morbidity from a wide range of diseases. Associations among fecundity, health and survival among women are still uncertain and studies on actual measures of fecundity and health outcomes are rare. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We performed a prospective cohort study of 7825 women and 6279 men, aged 18 and above with measures on first TTP, who participated in one of the Danish nation-wide twin surveys in 1994 (twins born 1953-1976) and 1998 (twins born 1931-1952). They were followed-up for mortality and hospital admissions from the interview until 2018. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Twins were identified in the Danish Twin Registry and linked to Danish registers. TTP was restricted to the first pregnancy as a categorical outcome with cut-off points at 2, 10 and 18 months. We analysed the association between TTP and survival using a Cox proportional hazards model estimating hazards ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Fine-Gray survival models were used to estimate sub-hazard ratios for specific causes of death allowing for competing risks. Using negative binomial regression, we estimated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% CIs for all-cause and cause-specific hospitalizations. All analyses were stratified by sex and adjusted for age at interview, birth cohorts, age at first attempt to become pregnant, smoking, years in school and BMI. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE In the total study population, 49.9% of women and 52.7% of men reported a TTP of less than 2 months, 30.8% of women and 29.6% of men reported a TTP of 2-9 months, 6.6% of women and 5.7% of men reported a TTP of 10-17 months, and 13.3% of women and 12.0% of men reported a TTP of 18 months or more. Among 1305 deaths, we found a higher mortality for women (HR = 1.46; 95% CI 1.15, 1.87) with a TTP of ≥18 months relative to those with a TTP of <2 months, while the highest mortality was indicated for men with a TTP of 10-17 months (HR = 1.31; 95% CI 0.98, 1.74). Among 53 799 hospitalizations, we found an increased hospitalization rate among women (HR = 1.21; 95% CI 1.0-1.41) and men (HR = 1.16; 95% CI 1.00-1.35) with a TTP of ≥18 months, and for men with a TTP of 2-9 months (HR = 1.14; 95% CI 1.01-1.30). A dose-response relationship was found for women regarding both mortality (P = 0.022) and hospitalizations (P = 0.018). Impaired fecundity was associated with a wide range of diseases and some causes of death, indicating a multi-factorial causal influence on fecundity, especially among women. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION A major limitation was that fecundity depends on both partners, which was not considered in this study. Moreover, we could not obtain information on a number of potential confounders. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Fecundity seems positively correlated with overall health and may be a universal marker of future health and survival. These results add knowledge to the limited findings showing that reduced fecundity in women and poor semen quality in men may reflect worse health and a shorter life, particularly among women. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was funded by NIH grant HD096468 (M.L.E., T.K.J. and R.L.J.). The authors declare that they have no competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J Ahrenfeldt
- Unit of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and
Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern
Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- The Danish Twin Registry, Department of Public
Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - S Möller
- OPEN—Open Patient data Explorative Network,
Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Research, University of
Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - M J Wensink
- Unit of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and
Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern
Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics
(CPop), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - M L Eisenberg
- Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, Department
of Urology and Obstetrics & Gynecology, Stanford University School of
Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - K Christensen
- Unit of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and
Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern
Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- The Danish Twin Registry, Department of Public
Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and
Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University
Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - T K Jensen
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Farmacy and
Environmental Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense,
Denmark
| | - R Lindahl-Jacobsen
- Unit of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and
Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern
Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics
(CPop), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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Crowe HM, Wesselink AK, Wise LA, Wang TR, Horsburgh CR, Mikkelsen EM, Hatch EE. Antibiotics and fecundability among female pregnancy planners: a prospective cohort study. Hum Reprod 2021; 36:2761-2768. [PMID: 34269389 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deab173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION To what extent is female preconception antibiotic use associated with fecundability? SUMMARY ANSWER Preconception antibiotic use overall was not appreciably associated with fecundability. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Antibiotics are commonly used by women and are generally thought to be safe for use during pregnancy. However, little is known about possible effects of antibiotic use on fecundability, the per-cycle probability of conception. Previous research on this question has been limited to occupational rather than therapeutic exposure. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We analyzed data from an Internet-based preconception cohort study of 9524 female pregnancy planners aged 21-45 years residing in the USA and Canada who had been attempting to conceive for six or fewer cycles at study entry. Participants enrolled between June 2013 and September 2020 and completed baseline and bimonthly follow-up questionnaires for up to 12 months or until a reported pregnancy, whichever came first. The questions pertaining to antibiotic type and indication were added to the PRESTO questionnaires in March 2016. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS We assessed antibiotic use in the previous 4 weeks at baseline and on each follow-up questionnaire. Participants provided the name of the specific antibiotic and the indication for use. Antibiotics were classified based on active ingredient (penicillins, macrolides, nitrofurantoin, nitroimidazole, cephalosporins, sulfonamides, quinolones, tetracyclines, lincosamides), and indications were classified by type of infection (respiratory, urinary tract, skin, vaginal, pelvic, and surgical). Participants reported pregnancy status on follow-up questionnaires. We used proportional probabilities regression to estimate fecundability ratios (FR), the per-cycle probability of conception comparing exposed with unexposed individuals, and 95% CI, adjusting for sociodemographics, lifestyle factors, and reproductive history. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Overall, women who used antibiotics in the past 4 weeks at baseline had similar fecundability to those who had not used antibiotics (FR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.89-1.07). Sulfonamides and lincosamides were associated with slightly increased fecundability (FR: 1.39, 95% CI: 0.90-2.15, and FR: 1.58 95% CI: 0.96-2.60, respectively), while macrolides were associated with slightly reduced fecundability (FR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.47-1.04). Analyses of the indication for antibiotic use suggest that there is likely some confounding by indication. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Findings were imprecise for some antibiotic classes and indications for use owing to small numbers of antibiotic users in these categories. There are likely heterogeneous effects of different combinations of indications and treatments, which may be obscured in the overall null results, but cannot be further elucidated in this analysis. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS There is little evidence that most antibiotics are associated with reduced fecundability. Antibiotics and the infections they treat are likely associated with fecundability through differing mechanisms, resulting in their association with increased fecundability in some circumstances and decreased fecundability in others. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was supported through funds provided by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health (R01-HD086742, R21-HD072326). L.A.W. has received in-kind donations from Swiss Precision Diagnostics, Sandstone Diagnostics, Fertility Friend, and Kindara for primary data collection in PRESTO. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Michelle Crowe
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amelia Kent Wesselink
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lauren Anne Wise
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tanran R Wang
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Ellen Margrethe Mikkelsen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark
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Mitter VR, Meier S, Rau TT, Gillon T, Mueller MD, Zwahlen M, von Wolff M, Kohl Schwartz AS. Treatment following hysteroscopy and endometrial diagnostic biopsy increases the chance for live birth in women with chronic endometritis. Am J Reprod Immunol 2021; 86:e13482. [PMID: 34218478 PMCID: PMC8596418 DOI: 10.1111/aji.13482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Problem Repeated implantation failure and recurrent pregnancy loss are associated with chronic endometritis, a persistent endometrial inflammation. Its diagnosis and treatment may increase pregnancy and live birth rates. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of endometrial diagnostic biopsy and subsequent antibiotic treatment in cases of chronic endometritis on reproductive outcomes over a long observation period. Method of Study We conducted a historical cohort study (2014–2018) at our University‐based infertility center that included women (n = 108) with repeated implantation failure or recurrent pregnancy loss without known pathologies associated with either condition. Forty‐one women underwent a hysteroscopy only (reference group); the remaining 67 women underwent, in addition to the hysteroscopy, an endometrial diagnostic biopsy with immunohistochemically staining for CD138 to detect plasma cells (biopsy group). If one or more plasma cells were detected, the women were treated with doxycycline 100 mg twice a day orally for 2 weeks. We performed stratified survival analysis (Kaplan‐Meier) and Cox regression. Results The biopsy group had higher chances of pregnancy (hazard ratio 2.28; 95% confidence interval 1.23–4.24; p = .009) and of live birth (hazard ratio 2.76; 95% confidence interval 1.30–5.87; p = .008) compared with the reference group. In the sensitivity analysis, repeated implantation failure or recurrent pregnancy loss did not affect the outcome. Conclusion Endometrial diagnostic biopsy followed by antibiotic treatment in case of chronic endometritis in women with repeated implantation failure or recurrent pregnancy loss may increase the chances for live birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera R Mitter
- Division of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Graduate School for Health Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sheila Meier
- Division of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tilman T Rau
- Institute for Pathology, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tessa Gillon
- Department of Gynecology and Gynecological Oncology, University Hospital of Bern and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael D Mueller
- Department of Gynecology and Gynecological Oncology, University Hospital of Bern and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marcel Zwahlen
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael von Wolff
- Division of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Alexandra S Kohl Schwartz
- Division of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Division of Reproductive Medicine and Gynecological Endocrinology, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Lucerne, Switzerland
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Basso O, Willis SK, Hatch EE, Mikkelsen EM, Rothman KJ, Wise LA. Maternal age at birth and daughter's fecundability. Hum Reprod 2021; 36:1970-1980. [PMID: 33860312 PMCID: PMC8213449 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deab057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Do daughters of older mothers have lower fecundability? SUMMARY ANSWER In this cohort study of North American pregnancy planners, there was virtually no association between maternal age ≥35 years and daughters' fecundability. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Despite suggestive evidence that daughters of older mothers may have lower fertility, only three retrospective studies have examined the association between maternal age and daughter's fecundability. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Prospective cohort study of 6689 pregnancy planners enrolled between March 2016 and January 2020. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO) is an ongoing pre-conception cohort study of pregnancy planners (age, 21-45 years) from the USA and Canada. We estimated fecundability ratios (FR) for maternal age at the participant's birth using multivariable proportional probabilities regression models. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Daughters of mothers ≥30 years were less likely to have previous pregnancies (or pregnancy attempts) or risk factors for infertility, although they were more likely to report that their mother had experienced problems conceiving. The proportion of participants with prior unplanned pregnancies, a birth before age 21, ≥3 cycles of attempt at study entry or no follow-up was greater among daughters of mothers <25 years. Compared with maternal age 25-29 years, FRs (95% CI) for maternal age <20, 20-24, 30-34, and ≥35 were 0.72 (0.61, 0.84), 0.92 (0.85, 1.00), 1.08 (1.00, 1.17), and 1.00 (0.89, 1.12), respectively. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Although the examined covariates did not meaningfully affect the associations, we had limited information on the participants' mother. Differences by maternal age in reproductive history, infertility risk factors and loss to follow-up suggest that selection bias may partly explain our results. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Our finding that maternal age 35 years or older was not associated with daughter's fecundability is reassuring, considering the trend towards delayed childbirth. However, having been born to a young mother may be a marker of low fecundability among pregnancy planners. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) PRESTO was funded by NICHD Grants (R21-HD072326 and R01-HD086742) and has received in-kind donations from Swiss Precision Diagnostics, FertilityFriend.com, Kindara.com, and Sandstone Diagnostics. Dr Wise is a fibroid consultant for AbbVie, Inc. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER n/a.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Basso
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Royal Victoria Hospital, Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H3A 1A2, Canada
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sydney K Willis
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth E Hatch
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ellen M Mikkelsen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Kenneth J Rothman
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Lauren A Wise
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Mumford SL, Flannagan KS, Radoc JG, Sjaarda LA, Zolton JR, Metz TD, Plowden TC, Perkins NJ, DeVilbiss EA, Andriessen VC, A C PS, Kim K, Yisahak SF, Freeman JR, Alkhalaf Z, Silver RM, Schisterman EF. Cannabis use while trying to conceive: a prospective cohort study evaluating associations with fecundability, live birth and pregnancy loss. Hum Reprod 2021; 36:1405-1415. [PMID: 33421071 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deaa355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Is cannabis use assessed via urinary metabolites and self-report during preconception associated with fecundability, live birth and pregnancy loss? SUMMARY ANSWER Preconception cannabis use was associated with reduced fecundability among women with a history of pregnancy loss attempting pregnancy despite an increased frequency of intercourse. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Cannabis use continues to rise despite limited evidence of safety during critical windows of pregnancy establishment. While existing studies suggest that self-reported cannabis use is not associated with fecundability, self-report may not be reliable. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A prospective cohort study was carried out including 1228 women followed for up to six cycles while attempting pregnancy (2006 to 2012), and throughout pregnancy if they conceived. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Women aged 18-40 years with a history of pregnancy loss (n = 1228) were recruited from four clinical centers. Women self-reported preconception cannabis use at baseline and urinary tetrahydrocannabinol metabolites were measured throughout preconception and early pregnancy (up to four times during the study: at baseline, after 6 months of follow-up or at the beginning of the conception cycle, and weeks 4 and 8 of pregnancy). Time to hCG-detected pregnancy, and incidence of live birth and pregnancy loss were prospectively assessed. Fecundability odds ratios (FOR) and 95% CI were estimated using discrete time Cox proportional hazards models, and risk ratios (RRs) and 95% CI using log-binomial regression adjusting for age, race, BMI, education level, baseline urine cotinine, alcohol use and antidepressant use. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Preconception cannabis use was 5% (62/1228), based on combined urinary metabolite measurements and self-report, and 1.3% (11/789) used cannabis during the first 8 weeks of gestation based on urinary metabolites only. Women with preconception cannabis use had reduced fecundability (FOR 0.59; 95% CI 0.38, 0.92). Preconception cannabis use was also associated with increased frequency of intercourse per cycle (9.4 ± 7 versus 7.5 ± 7 days; P = 0.02) and higher LH (percentage change 64%, 95% CI 3, 161) and higher LH:FSH ratio (percentage change 39%, 95% CI 7, 81). There were also suggestive, though imprecise, associations with anovulation (RR 1.92, 95% CI 0.88, 4.18), and live birth (42% (19/45) cannabis users versus 55% (578/1043) nonusers; RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.57, 1.12). No associations were observed between preconception cannabis use and pregnancy loss (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.46, 1.42). Similar results were observed after additional adjustment for parity, income, employment status and stress. We were unable to estimate associations between cannabis use during early pregnancy and pregnancy loss due to limited sample size. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Owing to the relatively few cannabis users in our study, we had limited ability to make conclusions regarding live birth and pregnancy loss, and were unable to account for male partner use. While results were similar after excluding smokers, alcohol use and any drug use in the past year, some residual confounding may persist due to these potential co-exposures. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS These findings highlight potential risks on fecundability among women attempting pregnancy with a history of pregnancy loss and the need for expanded evidence regarding the reproductive health effects of cannabis use in the current climate of increasing legalization. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland (Contract numbers: HHSN267200603423, HHSN267200603424, HHSN267200603426, HHSN275201300023I). Jeannie G. Radoc has been funded by the National Institutes of Health Medical Research Scholars Program, a public-private partnership supported jointly by the National Institutes of Health and generous contributions to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF Grant # 2014194), Genentech, Elsevier, and other private donors. The authors report no conflict of interest in this work and have nothing to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00467363.
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Affiliation(s)
- S L Mumford
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - K S Flannagan
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - J G Radoc
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - L A Sjaarda
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - J R Zolton
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - T D Metz
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - T C Plowden
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - N J Perkins
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - E A DeVilbiss
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - V C Andriessen
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - Purdue-Smithe A C
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - K Kim
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - S F Yisahak
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - J R Freeman
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - Z Alkhalaf
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
| | - R M Silver
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - E F Schisterman
- Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
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Konishi S, Kariya F, Hamasaki K, Takayasu L, Ohtsuki H. Fecundability and Sterility by Age: Estimates Using Time to Pregnancy Data of Japanese Couples Trying to Conceive Their First Child with and without Fertility Treatment. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:5486. [PMID: 34065492 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18105486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Fecundability, the probability of conception in a month or in a menstrual cycle, varies across and within age groups for both women and men. Fertility treatment has become common in a number of countries including Japan, but its impact on the age pattern of fecundability is unknown. By utilizing the previously collected data on time to pregnancy (TTP) of Japanese couples trying to conceive their first child, the present study aimed to estimate fecundability and sterility by women’s age and to assess how the estimates may differ by including or excluding assisted conceptions. Duration between discontinuing contraception and conception (including both natural and assisted) resulted in a live birth was called TTP-all, and the duration ending with natural conception was called TTP-natural. TTP-natural was censored when a participant received fertility consultation or treatment. A zero-inflated beta distribution model was used to estimate a proportion of sterile (zero probability of conception) and a distribution of fecundability for each age group. Parameters of the distribution were estimated using the maximum likelihood method. When TTP-all and TTP-natural were used, the sterile proportion of the whole sample was, respectively, 2% and 14%, and the median (interquartile range) of fecundability was, respectively, 0.10 (0.04, 0.19) and 0.11 (0.05, 0.19). The median (interquartile range) of fecundability was 0.18 (0.10, 0.29) for women aged 24 years or younger and 0.05 (0.02, 0.13) for 35–39 years old when TTP-all was used, and the estimates were quite similar with those based on TTP-natural: it was 0.18 (0.10, 0.29) for women aged 24 years or younger and 0.06 (0.00, 0.15) for 35–39 years old. Exclusion of assisted conceptions resulted in larger proportions of sterility, but it had little impact on median or interquartile ranges of fecundability estimates. Fecundability is overall lower at higher ages, while interquartile ranges are overlapping, suggesting that inter-individual variability of fecundability within an age group is as large as the variability across age groups.
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30
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Willis SK, Hatch EE, Wesselink AK, Rothman KJ, Mikkelsen EM, Ahrens KA, Wise LA. Post-partum interval and time to pregnancy in a prospective preconception cohort. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2021; 35:271-280. [PMID: 32700808 DOI: 10.1111/ppe.12702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about the influence of the post-partum interval-defined as the time between giving birth and attempting to conceive again-on subsequent fecundability. OBJECTIVES We evaluated the association between the post-partum interval and fecundability in Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO), a web-based prospective preconception cohort of pregnancy planners from the United States and Canada. METHODS Eligible women were aged 21-45 years, attempting pregnancy, and not using fertility treatment. Women completed a baseline questionnaire to ascertain information on demographics, life style factors, and reproductive history, including detailed information on all previous pregnancies. They completed bi-monthly follow-up questionnaires for up to 12 months to update pregnancy status over time. We used proportional probabilities regression models to estimate fecundability ratios (FRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for sociodemographic and reproductive history covariates. Analyses were restricted to multiparous women who had been attempting pregnancy with the same male partner for ≤6 menstrual cycles at enrolment. RESULTS During 2013-2019, 1489 female participants contributed 959 pregnancies and 5003 cycles. The median post-partum interval was 18 months. Compared with a 12- to 23-month post-partum interval, FRs for post-partum intervals of <12, 24-47, and ≥48 months were 0.89 (95% CI 0.77, 1.04), 1.06 (95% CI 0.91, 1.23), and 0.81 (95% CI 0.62, 1.05), respectively. When restricting to women without a history of subfertility, results were consistent for long post-partum interval and attenuated for short post-partum interval. CONCLUSIONS Among North American pregnancy planners, long post-partum intervals (≥48 months) were associated with slightly reduced fecundability. Short post-partum intervals (<12 months) were weakly associated with reduced fecundability in some subgroups including women with a history of caesarean delivery and planned pregnancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney K Willis
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth E Hatch
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amelia K Wesselink
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth J Rothman
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.,RTI International, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ellen M Mikkelsen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Katherine A Ahrens
- Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME, USA
| | - Lauren A Wise
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Stanford JB, Hansen JL, Willis SK, Hu N, Thomas A. Peri-implantation intercourse does not lower fecundability. Hum Reprod 2021; 35:2107-2112. [PMID: 32756956 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deaa156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Does sexual intercourse in the implantation time window (5-9 days after ovulation) reduce fecundability? SUMMARY ANSWER After adjustment for intercourse in the fecund window and clustering by couple, there was no association between intercourse in the implantation time window and fecundity. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Previous research has suggested an association between intercourse in the peri-implantation time window (5-9 days after estimated ovulation) and reduced fecundability. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We used data from the FERTILI study, a prospective observational study conducted in five European countries, with data collected from 1992 to 1996. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Women who were experienced in fertility awareness tracking kept a daily diary of cervical mucus observations, basal body temperature measurements, coitus and clinically identified pregnancy. We estimated the day of ovulation as cycle length minus 13 days. From 661 women, 2606 cycles had intercourse during the fecund window (from 5 days before to 3 days after the estimated day of ovulation), resulting in 418 pregnancies (conception cycles). An established Bayesian fecundability model was used to estimate the fecundability ratio (FR) of peri-implantation intercourse on fecundability, while adjusting for each partner's age, prior pregnancy, the couple's probability of conception and intercourse pattern(s). We conducted sensitivity analyses estimating ovulation as cycle length minus 12 days, or alternatively, as the peak day of estrogenic cervical mucus. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE There was no effect of peri-implantation intercourse on fecundability: adjusted FR for three or more acts of peri-implantation intercourse versus none: 1.00, 95% credible interval: 0.76-1.13. Results were essentially the same with sensitivity analyses. There was an inverse relationship between frequency of intercourse in the fecund window and intercourse in the peri-implantation window. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Women with known subfertility were excluded from this study. Many couples in the study were avoiding pregnancy during much of the study, so 61% of otherwise eligible cycles in the database were not at meaningful risk of pregnancy and did not contribute to the analysis. Some couples may not have recorded all intercourse. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS We believe the current balance of evidence does not support a recommendation for avoiding intercourse in the peri-implantation period among couples trying to conceive. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) No external funding. The authors have no potential competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph B Stanford
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jared L Hansen
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Sydney K Willis
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nan Hu
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Alun Thomas
- Division of Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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Høyer S, Riis AH, Toft G, Wise LA, Hatch EE, Wesselink AK, Rothman KJ, Sørensen HT, Mikkelsen EM. Male alcohol consumption and fecundability. Hum Reprod 2021; 35:816-825. [PMID: 32155263 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dez294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Revised: 11/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Does male alcohol consumption affect fecundability? SUMMARY ANSWER In data pooled across Danish and North American preconception cohort studies, we found little evidence of an association between male alcohol consumption and reduced fecundability. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Experimental and clinical studies have shown that alcohol affects male reproductive physiology, mainly by altering male reproductive hormones and spermatogenesis. However, few epidemiologic studies have examined the association between alcohol consumption and male fertility. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Data were collected from two ongoing prospective preconception cohort studies: the Danish 'SnartForaeldre' (SF) study (662 couples) and the North American 'Pregnancy Study Online' (PRESTO) (2017 couples). Participants included in the current analysis were enrolled from August 2011 through June 2019 (SF) and from June 2013 through June 2019 (PRESTO). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Eligible men were aged ≥18 years in SF and ≥21 years in PRESTO, in a stable relationship with a female partner and not using contraception or receiving fertility treatment. In both cohorts, alcohol consumption/serving size was self-reported as number of beers (330 mL/12 oz.), glasses of white or red wine (120 mL/4 oz. each), dessert wine (50 mL/2 oz.) and spirits (20 mL/1.5 oz.). Overall alcohol consumption was categorized as none, 1-5, 6-13 and ≥14 standard servings per week. Total menstrual cycles at risk were calculated using data from female partners' follow-up questionnaires, which were completed every 8 weeks until self-reported pregnancy or 12 menstrual cycles, whichever came first. Analyses were restricted to couples that had been trying to conceive for ≤6 cycles at study entry. Proportional probability regression models were used to compute fecundability ratios (FRs) and 95% confidence interval (CIs). We adjusted for male and female age, female partner's alcohol consumption, intercourse frequency, previous history of fathering a child, race/ethnicity, education, BMI, smoking and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and caffeine. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The cumulative proportion of couples who conceived during 12 cycles of follow-up were 1727 (64.5%). The median (interquartile range) of total male alcohol consumption was 4.5 (2.0-7.8) and 4.1 (1.0-8.6) standard servings per week in the SF and PRESTO cohorts, respectively. In pooled analyses, adjusted FRs for male alcohol consumption of 1-5, 6-13 and ≥14 standard servings per week compared with no alcohol consumption were 1.02 (95% CI: 0.90-1.17), 1.10 (95% CI: 0.96-1.27) and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.81-1.18), respectively. For SF, adjusted FRs of 1-5, 6-13 and ≥14 standard servings per week compared with no alcohol consumption were 0.97 (95% CI: 0.73-1.28), 0.81 (95% CI: 0.60-1.10) and 0.82 (95% CI: 0.51-1.30), respectively. For PRESTO, adjusted FRs of 1-5, 6-13 and ≥14 standard servings per week compared with no alcohol consumption were 1.02 (95% CI: 0.88-1.18), 1.20 (95% CI: 1.03-1.40) and 1.03 (95% CI: 0.84-1.26), respectively. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Male alcohol consumption was ascertained at baseline only, and we did not distinguish between regular and binge drinking. In addition, we had insufficient numbers to study the effects of specific types of alcoholic beverages. As always, residual confounding by unmeasured factors, such as dietary factors and mental health, cannot be ruled out. Comorbidities thought to play a role in the reproductive setting (i.e. cancer, metabolic syndrome) were not considered in this study; however, the prevalence of cancer and diabetes was low in this age group. Findings for the highest categories of alcohol consumption (6-13 and ≥14 servings/week) were not consistent across the two cohorts. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Despite little evidence of an association between male alcohol consumption and reduced fecundability in the pooled analysis, data from the Danish cohort might indicate a weak association between reduced fecundability and consumption of six or more servings per week. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01-HD060680, R01-HD086742, R21-HD050264, R21-HD072326, R03-HD090315), the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Oticon Fonden, Politimester J.P.N. Colind og hustru Asmine Colinds mindelegat and Erna og Peter Houtveds studielegat. PRESTO receives in-kind donations from FertilityFriend.com, Kindara.com, Swiss Precision Diagnostics and Sandstone Diagnostics for the collection of data pertaining to fertility. Dr Wise serves as a consultant on uterine leiomyomata for AbbVie.com. All other authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Høyer
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - A H Riis
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - G Toft
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - L A Wise
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 617857, USA
| | - E E Hatch
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 617857, USA
| | - A K Wesselink
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 617857, USA
| | - K J Rothman
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.,Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 617857, USA.,RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA
| | - H T Sørensen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.,Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 617857, USA
| | - E M Mikkelsen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
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Stanford JB, Willis SK, Hatch EE, Rothman KJ, Wise LA. Fecundability in relation to use of mobile computing apps to track the menstrual cycle. Hum Reprod 2021; 35:2245-2252. [PMID: 32910202 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deaa176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION To what extent does the use of mobile computing apps to track the menstrual cycle and the fertile window influence fecundability among women trying to conceive? SUMMARY ANSWER After adjusting for potential confounders, use of any of several different apps was associated with increased fecundability ranging from 12% to 20% per cycle of attempt. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Many women are using mobile computing apps to track their menstrual cycle and the fertile window, including while trying to conceive. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION The Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO) is a North American prospective internet-based cohort of women who are aged 21-45 years, trying to conceive and not using contraception or fertility treatment at baseline. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS We restricted the analysis to 8363 women trying to conceive for no more than 6 months at baseline; the women were recruited from June 2013 through May 2019. Women completed questionnaires at baseline and every 2 months for up to 1 year. The main outcome was fecundability, i.e. the per-cycle probability of conception, which we assessed using self-reported data on time to pregnancy (confirmed by positive home pregnancy test) in menstrual cycles. On the baseline and follow-up questionnaires, women reported whether they used mobile computing apps to track their menstrual cycles ('cycle apps') and, if so, which one(s). We estimated fecundability ratios (FRs) for the use of cycle apps, adjusted for female age, race/ethnicity, prior pregnancy, BMI, income, current smoking, education, partner education, caffeine intake, use of hormonal contraceptives as the last method of contraception, hours of sleep per night, cycle regularity, use of prenatal supplements, marital status, intercourse frequency and history of subfertility. We also examined the impact of concurrent use of fertility indicators: basal body temperature, cervical fluid, cervix position and/or urine LH. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Among 8363 women, 6077 (72.7%) were using one or more cycle apps at baseline. A total of 122 separate apps were reported by women. We designated five of these apps before analysis as more likely to be effective (Clue, Fertility Friend, Glow, Kindara, Ovia; hereafter referred to as 'selected apps'). The use of any app at baseline was associated with 20% increased fecundability, with little difference between selected apps versus other apps (selected apps FR (95% CI): 1.20 (1.13, 1.28); all other apps 1.21 (1.13, 1.30)). In time-varying analyses, cycle app use was associated with 12-15% increased fecundability (selected apps FR (95% CI): 1.12 (1.04, 1.21); all other apps 1.15 (1.07, 1.24)). When apps were used at baseline with one or more fertility indicators, there was higher fecundability than without fertility indicators (selected apps with indicators FR (95% CI): 1.23 (1.14, 1.34) versus without indicators 1.17 (1.05, 1.30); other apps with indicators 1.30 (1.19, 1.43) versus without indicators 1.16 (1.06, 1.27)). In time-varying analyses, results were similar when stratified by time trying at study entry (<3 vs. 3-6 cycles) or cycle regularity. For use of the selected apps, we observed higher fecundability among women with a history of subfertility: FR 1.33 (1.05-1.67). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Neither regularity nor intensity of app use was ascertained. The prospective time-varying assessment of app use was based on questionnaires completed every 2 months, which would not capture more frequent changes. Intercourse frequency was also reported retrospectively and we do not have data on timing of intercourse relative to the fertile window. Although we controlled for a wide range of covariates, we cannot exclude the possibility of residual confounding (e.g. choosing to use an app in this observational study may be a marker for unmeasured health habits promoting fecundability). Half of the women in the study received a free premium subscription for one of the apps (Fertility Friend), which may have increased the overall prevalence of app use in the time-varying analyses, but would not affect app use at baseline. Most women in the study were college educated, which may limit application of results to other populations. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Use of a cycle app, especially in combination with observation of one or more fertility indicators (basal body temperature, cervical fluid, cervix position and/or urine LH), may increase fecundability (per-cycle pregnancy probability) by about 12-20% for couples trying to conceive. We did not find consistent evidence of improved fecundability resulting from use of one specific app over another. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This research was supported by grants, R21HD072326 and R01HD086742, from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, USA. In the last 3 years, Dr L.A.W. has served as a fibroid consultant for AbbVie.com. Dr L.A.W. has also received in-kind donations from Sandstone Diagnostics, Swiss Precision Diagnostics, FertilityFriend.com and Kindara.com for primary data collection and participant incentives in the PRESTO cohort. Dr J.B.S. reports personal fees from Swiss Precision Diagnostics, outside the submitted work. The remaining authors have nothing to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph B Stanford
- Office of Cooperative Reproductive Health, Division of Public Health, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Sydney K Willis
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth E Hatch
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth J Rothman
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.,RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Lauren A Wise
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Labrosse J, Lecourt A, Hours A, Sebbag C, Toussaint A, Laas E, Coussy F, Grandal B, Dumas E, Daoud E, Morel C, Feron JG, Faron M, Pierga JY, Reyal F, Hamy AS. Time to Pregnancy, Obstetrical and Neonatal Outcomes after Breast Cancer: A Study from the Maternity Network for Young Breast Cancer Patients. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:1070. [PMID: 33802333 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13051070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although an increasing number of young breast cancer (BC) patients have a pregnancy desire after BC, the time necessary to obtain a pregnancy after treatment and subsequent outcomes remain unknown. We aimed to determine the time to evolutive pregnancy in a cohort of BC survivors and subsequent obstetrical and neonatal outcomes. We analyzed BC patients treated at Institut Curie from 2005-2017, aged 18-43 years old (y.o.) at diagnosis having at least one subsequent pregnancy. 133 patients were included, representing 197 pregnancies. Mean age at BC diagnosis was 32.8 y.o. and at pregnancy beginning was 36.8 y.o. 71% pregnancies were planned, 18% unplanned and 86% spontaneous. 64% pregnancies resulted in live birth (n = 131). Median time from BC diagnosis to pregnancy beginning was 48 months and was significantly associated with endocrine therapy (p < 0.001). Median time to pregnancy was 4.3 months. Median time to evolutive pregnancy 5.6 months. In multivariate analysis, menstrual cycles before pregnancy remained significantly associated with time to pregnancy and endocrine therapy with time evolutive to pregnancy. None of the BC treatments (chemotherapy/endocrine therapy/trastuzumab) was significantly associated with obstetrical nor neonatal outcomes, that seemed comparable to global population. Our findings provide reassuring data for pregnancy counseling both in terms of delay and outcome.
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Kahn LG, Harley KG, Siegel EL, Zhu Y, Factor-Litvak P, Porucznik CA, Klein-Fedyshin M, Hipwell AE. Persistent organic pollutants and couple fecundability: a systematic review. Hum Reprod Update 2021; 27:339-366. [PMID: 33147335 PMCID: PMC7903116 DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmaa037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite increasing regulation, exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) remains a serious public health concern due to their accumulation in the environment and ability to biomagnify up the food chain. POPs are associated with endocrine-disrupting effects including adverse reproductive outcomes that could affect fecundability, i.e. the capacity to conceive a pregnancy, quantified as time to pregnancy (TTP). OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE Results of epidemiologic studies that examine the impact of various chemical classes of POPs on TTP have not been synthesised. We undertook a systematic review to summarise the strength of evidence for associations of four common groups of POPs with couple fecundability and to identify gaps and limitations in the literature in order to inform policy decisions and future research. SEARCH METHODS We performed an electronic search of literature published between 1 January 2007 and 6 August 2019 in MEDLINE, EMBASE.com, Global Health, DART/TOXLINE and POPLINE. We included empirical research papers that examined human exposure to organochlorine (OC) pesticides, brominated flame retardants, polychlorinated organic compounds and/or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and considered TTP or fecundability as an outcome. Standardised forms for screening, data extraction and study quality were developed using DistillerSR software, and all reviews were completed in duplicate. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess risk of bias and devised additional quality metrics based on specific methodological features of fecundability studies. OUTCOMES The search returned 4573 articles, and 28 papers from 19 different studies met inclusion criteria. Among them, four studies measured TTP prospectively, three had data on participants' prenatal exposure, three examined associations in both male and female partners and one focused exclusively on males. Analyses varied widely in terms of exposure characterisation, precluding a meta-analytic approach. Evidence was strongest for adverse associations of female exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls with TTP, with some additional support for associations of female exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers and PFAS with longer TTP. Our review provided little or no support for associations between female exposure to OC pesticides or male exposure to any of the POP groups and TTP. WIDER IMPLICATIONS Evidence suggests that female exposure to at least some POPs may reduce fecundability. Although many of these chemicals are no longer in production, they are still detectable in human biosamples because of their persistence in the environment. Replacement chemicals that are being introduced as older ones are restricted may have similar reproductive consequences. Future studies should examine these newer POPs, assess interactions between POPs and other chemical and non-chemical exposures, investigate how POPs are distributed in and metabolised by the human body and focus on populations that may be disproportionately exposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda G Kahn
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA
| | - Kim G Harley
- Center for Environmental Research and Children’s Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Eva L Siegel
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Yeyi Zhu
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA 94612, USA
| | - Pam Factor-Litvak
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Christina A Porucznik
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
| | | | - Alison E Hipwell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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Harlow AF, Hatch EE, Wesselink AK, Rothman KJ, Wise LA. Electronic Cigarettes and Fecundability: Results From a Prospective Preconception Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol 2021; 190:353-361. [PMID: 32378702 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwaa067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Although electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) aerosol contains similar toxicants to combustible cigarettes, few studies have examined their influence on fecundability. We assessed the association between e-cigarette use and fecundability, overall and according to combustible cigarette smoking history, in a cohort of 4,586 North American women (aged 21-45 years) enrolled during 2017-2020 in Pregnancy Study Online, a Web-based prospective preconception study. Women reported current and former e-cigarette use on baseline and follow-up questionnaires, and they completed bimonthly follow-up questionnaires until self-reported pregnancy or censoring. Fecundability ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using proportional probabilities models, controlling for potential confounders. Overall, 17% of women had ever used e-cigarettes and 4% were current users. Compared with never use of e-cigarettes, current e-cigarette use was associated with slightly lower fecundability (fecundability ratio = 0.84, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.67, 1.06). Compared with current nonusers of e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes, fecundability ratios were 0.83 (95% CI: 0.54, 1.29) for current dual users of e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes, 0.91 (95% CI: 0.70, 1.18) for current e-cigarette users who were nonsmokers of combustible cigarettes, and 1.01 (95% CI: 0.85, 1.20) for nonusers of e-cigarettes who were current smokers of combustible cigarettes. Current e-cigarette use was associated with slightly reduced fecundability, but estimates of its independent and joint associations with combustible cigarette smoking were inconsistent and imprecise.
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Romero Herrera JA, Bang AK, Priskorn L, Izarzugaza JMG, Brunak S, Jørgensen N. Semen quality and waiting time to pregnancy explored using association mining. Andrology 2020; 9:577-587. [PMID: 33084252 DOI: 10.1111/andr.12924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Assessment of semen quality is a key pillar in the evaluation of men from infertile couples. Usually, semen parameters are interpreted individually because the interactions between parameters are difficult to account for. OBJECTIVES To determine how combinations of classical semen parameters and female partner age were associated with waiting time to pregnancy (TTP). MATERIALS AND METHODS Semen results of 500 fertile men, information of TTP, and partner age were used for regressions and to detect breaking points. For a modified Association Rule Mining algorithm, semen parameters were categorized as High, Medium, and Low. RESULTS Men ≤32.1 years and women ≤32.9 years had shorter TTP than older. Decreasing TTP was associated with increasing level of individual semen parameters up to threshold values: sperm concentration 46 mill/mL, total sperm count 179 mill, progressive motility 63%, and normal morphology 11.5%. Using association mining, approximately 100 combinations of semen parameters and partner age were associated with TTP. TTP ≤ 1 month often co-occurred with high percentages of progressive motility (≥62%) and morphologically normal spermatozoa (≥10.5%). Furthermore, TTP ≤ 1 did not tend to appear with lower percentages of these two semen parameters or high partner age (≥32 years). However, high percentages of motile or normal spermatozoa could not compensate for sperm concentration ≤42 mill/mL or total sperm count ≤158 mill. The prolonging effect of high partner age could not be compensated for by the man's semen quality. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Using association mining, we observed that TTP was best predicted when combinations of semen parameters were accounted for. Sperm counts, motility, and morphology were all important, and no single semen parameter was inferior. Additionally, female age above 32 years had a negative impact on TTP that could not be compensated for by high semen parameters of the man.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Alejandro Romero Herrera
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, NNF Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anne Kirstine Bang
- University Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,International Center for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laerke Priskorn
- University Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,International Center for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jose M G Izarzugaza
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Søren Brunak
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, NNF Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Niels Jørgensen
- University Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,International Center for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Price SA, Sumithran P, Prendergast LA, Nankervis AJ, Permezel M, Proietto J. Time to pregnancy after a prepregnancy very-low-energy diet program in women with obesity: substudy of a randomized controlled trial. Fertil Steril 2020; 114:1256-1262. [PMID: 33077241 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2020.06.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the impact of a prepregnancy very-low-energy diet (VLED) program on time to pregnancy in women with obesity. DESIGN Substudy of a two-arm parallel group randomized controlled trial. SETTING Multiple tertiary care centers. PATIENT(S) Women 18-38 years old with obesity (body mass index 30-55 kg/m2) and planning conception. INTERVENTION(S) One hundred sixty-four normoglycemic women with body mass index 30-55 kg/m2, aged 18-38 years, and planning pregnancy were recruited through a social media platform for a two-arm randomized controlled trial. Women were allocated to a 12-week standard dietary intervention (SDI) or modified VLED. Completers of the intervention were observed for up to 48 weeks, and time to pregnancy was recorded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) The prespecified exploratory outcome for this substudy was time to pregnancy between the completion of the 12-week intervention and the date of conception. RESULT(S) Maternal weight loss at the end of the 12-week intervention was 3.1% in the SDI group and 11.9% in the VLED group. In completers of the 12-week intervention, time to pregnancy was significantly shorter in the women allocated to the VLED group than in the SDI group. Post hoc analysis showed that this difference in time to conception was particularly overt within 90 days of the intervention. CONCLUSION(S) A VLED program that achieves substantial weight loss before conception reduces time to pregnancy compared with an SDI in women with obesity. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ACTRN12614001160628.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Price
- Department of Medicine (Austin), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Endocrinology, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Priya Sumithran
- Department of Medicine (Austin), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Endocrinology, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Luke A Prendergast
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alison J Nankervis
- Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael Permezel
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Joseph Proietto
- Department of Medicine (Austin), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Endocrinology, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Loy SL, Ku CW, Lai AEQ, Choo XH, Ho AHM, Cheung YB, Godfrey KM, Chong YS, Gluckman PD, Shek LP, Tan KH, Yap FKP, Chan SY, Chan JKY. Plasma glycemic measures and fecundability in a Singapore preconception cohort study. Fertil Steril 2021; 115:138-47. [PMID: 33070964 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2020.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the association between plasma glycemia in women attempting to conceive and fecundability, as measured by time to pregnancy. DESIGN Prospective preconception population-based study. SETTING Hospital. PATIENT(S) Asian preconception women, 18-45 years old, attempting conception for ≤12 cycles at study entry. INTERVENTION(S) None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) We ascertained time to pregnancy within a year of glycemic assessment in menstrual cycles. We estimated fecundability ratios (FRs) and 95% confidence intervals using discrete-time proportional hazards models, adjusting for age, ethnicity, education, body mass index, and cycle regularity and accounting for left truncation and right censoring. RESULT(S) We studied a population sample of 766 women from the Singapore Preconception Study of Long-Term Maternal and Child Outcomes prospective cohort. Compared with women with normoglycemia, women with dysglycemia (prediabetes and diabetes, defined by the American Diabetes Association) had a lower FR (0.56). Compared with the respective lowest quintiles, women in the highest quintile of fasting glucose (≥5.1 mmol/L) had an FR of 0.60, while women in the highest 2-hour postload glucose quintile (≥6.9 mmol/L) had an FR of 0.66. Overall, the FRs decreased generally across the range of fasting and 2-hour plasma glucose. Glycated hemoglobin was not associated with fecundability. CONCLUSION(S) Increasing preconception plasma glucose is associated with reduced fecundability, even within the normal range of glucose concentrations. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT03531658.
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Zhao J, Hong X, Zhang H, Dai Q, Huang K, Zhang X, Liu Y, Wu J, Wang Q, Shen H, Xu Z, Zhang Y, Yan D, Qi D, Yang X, Zhang Y, Wang B, Ma X. Pre-pregnancy maternal fasting plasma glucose levels in relation to time to pregnancy among the couples attempting first pregnancy. Hum Reprod 2020; 34:1325-1333. [PMID: 31216361 PMCID: PMC6613343 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dez069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION What is the relationship between pre-pregnancy maternal glucose levels and fecundability in Chinese couples? SUMMARY ANSWER Elevated pre-pregnancy maternal glucose levels were associated with fecundability, as reflected by prolonged time to pregnancy (TTP) among the couples with no prior gravidity. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Based on the National Free Pre-conception Check-up Projects supported by the Chinese government, 2 226 048 eligible couples attempting first pregnancy and participating in the project from 2015 to 2016 were included. They were followed-up for 1 year or until they reported pregnancy. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTINGS, METHODS The Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate the cumulative pregnancy rate in each menstrual cycle, and the discrete-time analogue of the Cox models was used to estimate the fecundability odds ratios (FORs) and 95% CIs by different pre-pregnancy maternal glucose levels (impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or diabetes as compared to normal). MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The cumulative pregnancy rate for 12 cycles of the normal fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level group was 42.29%, significantly higher than that of the IFG (35.52%) and diabetes groups (31.52%). After adjusting for confounding factors, the FORs were 0.82 (95% CI: 0.81–0.83) and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.72–0.76) for the IFG and diabetes groups, respectively, as compared to the normal group. The association between pre-pregnancy maternal FPG levels and the FORs was non-linear, and the optimal FPG level for greatest fecundability (shortest TTP) was 3.90–4.89 mmol/L. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The findings from this register-based cohort study require cautious interpretation given that information bias would be inevitable for single FPG measurements and for TTP calculations that were based on telephone follow-up information. Additionally, because couples who achieved pregnancy during their first menstrual cycle in the study were excluded, the pregnancy rates reported were low and possibly biased. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The current report suggests that elevated pre-pregnancy maternal glucose levels were associated with prolonged TTP. Early evaluation and preventive treatment for female partners with IFG or diabetes in a pre-pregnancy examination are necessary. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) Funding was provided by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (grants No. 2016YFC1000300 and 2016YFC1000307), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 81872634), the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (grant No. 2018-I2M-1-004), the National Human Genetic Resources Sharing Service Platform (grant No. 2005DKA21300) and the National Population and Reproductive Health Science Data Center (grant No. 2005DKA32408), People’s Republic of China. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zhao
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China.,National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China
| | - Xiang Hong
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hongguang Zhang
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China.,National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China
| | - Qiaoyun Dai
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China.,National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China
| | - Kaiping Huang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xu Zhang
- Department of Medical Record Management, The Affiliated YanAn Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan, China
| | - Yuxiang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jingwei Wu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Qiaomei Wang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China
| | - Haiping Shen
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China
| | - Zongyu Xu
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China
| | - Yiping Zhang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China
| | - Donghai Yan
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China
| | - Daxun Qi
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China.,National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China
| | - Xueying Yang
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China.,National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China.,Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Bei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xu Ma
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China.,National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China.,Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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Sponholtz TR, Bethea TN, Ruiz-Narváez EA, Boynton-Jarrett R, Palmer JR, Rosenberg L, Wise LA. Night Shift Work and Fecundability in Late Reproductive-Aged African American Women. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2020; 30:137-144. [PMID: 32598212 DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2019.8166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: We estimated the association between night shift work and fecundability among African American women. Methods: Black Women's Health Study participants (n = 560) aged 30-45 years reported their history of night shift work in 2005. Time to pregnancy for all pregnancies resulting in a livebirth was reported in 2011. We estimated the fecundability ratio (FR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using proportional probabilities regression, accounting for multiple observations of individual women using generalized estimating equations. Results: We observed 4,417 months of pregnancy attempt time resulting in 390 births. After adjustment for covariates, women who reported ever working night shifts had 20% lower fecundability compared with those who never reported night shift work (FR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.59-1.04). The FR for women reporting night shift work with a frequency of ≥1 time per month and a duration of ≥2 years was 0.65 (95% CI: 0.47-0.94) relative to women reporting no shift work. We observed a decrease in fecundability associated with ever working night shifts (FR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.56-0.96) among women aged ≥35 years, but not among younger women (FR = 1.33, 95% CI: 0.78-2.28). Conclusion: A history of working night shifts was associated with reduced fecundability among older reproductive-aged African American women attempting pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd R Sponholtz
- Section of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Traci N Bethea
- Section of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Edward A Ruiz-Narváez
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Renee Boynton-Jarrett
- Department of General Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Julie R Palmer
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lynn Rosenberg
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lauren A Wise
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Crowe HM, Wise LA, Wesselink AK, Rothman KJ, Mikkelsen EM, Sørensen HT, Walkey AJ, Hatch EE. Association of Asthma Diagnosis and Medication Use with Fecundability: A Prospective Cohort Study. Clin Epidemiol 2020; 12:579-587. [PMID: 32606983 PMCID: PMC7292257 DOI: 10.2147/clep.s245040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Asthma has been positively associated with irregular menses and infertility in some studies, but data are limited on the relation between asthma medication use and fecundability (i.e., average per-cycle probability of conception among non-contracepting couples). This study examines the extent to which a history of asthma, asthma medication use, and age at first asthma diagnosis are associated with fecundability among female pregnancy planners. Participants and Methods Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO) is an ongoing, web-based preconception cohort study of couples aged 21–45 years from North America. Between July 2013 and July 2019, a total of 10,436 participants enrolled in PRESTO, and 8286 were included in the present analysis. At study enrollment, women reported whether they had ever been diagnosed with asthma and, if so, the year they were first diagnosed. Women who reported ever being diagnosed with asthma were asked about medication use, including medication type and frequency of use. Participants completed follow-up questionnaires every 8 weeks for up to 12 months or until pregnancy. Proportional probabilities regression models were used to estimate fecundability ratios (FRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for potential confounders. Fecundability ratios below 1.00 indicate reduced probability of conception. Results There was little association between a history of asthma diagnosis or asthma medication use and fecundability. Compared with no history of asthma, the FR for ever-diagnosis of asthma with medication use was 1.02 (95% CI: 0.91–1.15) and for ever-diagnosis of asthma without medication use was 1.00 (95% CI: 0.91–1.09). Highest intensity asthma medication use (daily plus extra dosing for symptoms), combination inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta-agonist inhaler use, and a first diagnosis of asthma after age 17 years were associated with small reductions in fecundability. Conclusion The present study provides little evidence that asthma or asthma medication use is adversely associated with fecundability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Michelle Crowe
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Lauren Anne Wise
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Amelia Kent Wesselink
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Kenneth Jay Rothman
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA.,RTI International, Raleigh, NC 27709, USA
| | | | | | | | - Elizabeth Elliott Hatch
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
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Wesselink AK, Hatch EE, Mikkelsen EM, Trolle E, Willis SK, McCann SE, Valsta L, Lundqvist A, Tucker KL, Rothman KJ, Wise LA. Dietary phytoestrogen intakes of adult women are not strongly related to fecundability in 2 preconception cohort studies. J Nutr 2020; 150:1240-1251. [PMID: 31943053 PMCID: PMC7198303 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phytoestrogens are plant-derived hormonally active compounds found in soy, cruciferous vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Although phytoestrogens have been associated with altered endogenous hormonal activity, luteal phase deficiency, and reduced endometrial decidualization, the literature reporting examinations of phytoestrogen intake and fertility presents mixed findings. OBJECTIVES We sought to evaluate prospectively the association between dietary phytoestrogen intake (isoflavones, lignans, and coumestans) and fecundability, the per-cycle probability of conception, in 2 cohorts of women planning pregnancy. METHODS Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO) and Snart Foraeldre (SF) are parallel web-based preconception cohort studies of women from North America and Denmark, respectively, who are trying to conceive. Participants complete an online baseline questionnaire on sociodemographic, lifestyle, and medical factors. We ascertained intake of individual phytoestrogens from validated FFQs. We measured fecundability using data on menstruation and pregnancy status from bimonthly follow-up questionnaires. We analyzed data from 4880 PRESTO and 2898 SF female study participants who had been attempting conception for ≤6 cycles at study entry. We used proportional probabilities regression models to estimate fecundability ratios (FRs) and 95% CIs. RESULTS Phytoestrogen intake varied across cohorts, yet was associated with higher socioeconomic status and healthier behaviors in both cohorts. After adjustment for potential confounders, phytoestrogen intake was not substantially associated with fecundability in either cohort. We observed some evidence of improved fecundability with increasing isoflavone intake among women age ≥30 years in PRESTO (FR: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.94, 1.34, for comparison of ≥90th with <25th percentile intake) and SF (corresponding FR: 1.19; 95% CI: 0.92, 1.55). Lignan intake was associated with slightly increased fecundability in SF (FR for comparison of 75th to 90th with <25th percentile: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.26), but decreased fecundability in PRESTO (FR for comparison of ≥90th with <25th percentile: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.97). CONCLUSIONS We did not observe strong associations between phytoestrogen intake and prospectively-measured fecundability among North American or Danish pregnancy planners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia K Wesselink
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA,Address correspondence to AKW (e-mail: )
| | - Elizabeth E Hatch
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ellen M Mikkelsen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ellen Trolle
- Division of Risk Assessment and Nutrition, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sydney K Willis
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susan E McCann
- Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Liisa Valsta
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Katherine L Tucker
- Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth J Rothman
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA,Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Lauren A Wise
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Jukic AMZ, Padiyara P, Bracken MB, McConnaughey DR, Steiner AZ. Analgesic use at ovulation and implantation and human fertility. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2020; 222:476.e1-476.e11. [PMID: 31738897 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2019.11.1251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies investigating the effects of pain-relieving medication use on conceiving a pregnancy have shown conflicting results. Furthermore, no previous study has examined medication use around ovulation or implantation and the associations with the probability of conception, fecundability. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to explore the association between fecundability and analgesic use in 3 different menstrual cycle windows (preovulation, periovulation, and implantation) as well as across the entire menstrual cycle. STUDY DESIGN We analyzed data from a prospective cohort study of women between 30 and 44 years of age who were trying to conceive naturally from 2008 through 2015. Using daily diaries, medication usage was classified as acetaminophen, aspirin, or nonaspirin nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug during 4 time periods of interest (preovulatory, periovulatory, and implantation) as well as the overall nonmenstrual bleeding days of the cycle. Menstrual cycles during the prospective attempt to become pregnant were enumerated using daily diary menstrual bleeding information. Conception was defined as a positive home pregnancy test. Discrete time fecundability models were used to estimate the fecundability ratio and 95% confidence interval in each of the 4 time windows of interest and for each pain reliever (aspirin use, nonaspirin nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use, acetaminophen) compared with no medication use after adjustment for several covariates including age, race, education, body mass index, alcohol and caffeine use, frequency of intercourse, and a history of migraines or uterine fibroids. RESULTS Medication use was infrequent in the 858 women and 2366 cycles in this analysis. Use of nonaspirin nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs or acetaminophen was not associated with fecundability in any of the time windows of interest. Although the sample size was small, aspirin use during the implantation window was associated with increased fecundability (adjusted fecundability ratio [confidence interval]: 2.05 [1.23-3.41]). This association remained when limiting the analysis to cycles with minimal missing data or when adjusting for gravidity. None of the other medications were associated with fecundability. CONCLUSION Aspirin use around implantation was associated with increased fecundability. These results expand previous literature to suggest the following: (1) implantation may be an important target for the effects of aspirin on conception and (2) aspirin may be beneficial, regardless of pregnancy loss history. These observations should be tested with a clinical trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Marie Z Jukic
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, New Haven, CT; Center for Perinatal Pediatric and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT.
| | - Ponnu Padiyara
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, New Haven, CT; Center for Perinatal Pediatric and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Michael B Bracken
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, New Haven, CT; Center for Perinatal Pediatric and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | | | - Anne Z Steiner
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
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Stanhiser J, Jukic AMZ, Steiner AZ. Serum omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid concentrations and natural fertility. Hum Reprod 2020; 35:950-957. [PMID: 32303745 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dez305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Are serum omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acid concentrations associated with the probability of conceiving? SUMMARY ANSWER There is no strong association between serum concentrations of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and the probability of conceiving naturally. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid serum concentrations have been shown to play an important role in reproduction in animal models, while conflicting results have been reported in human studies of infertile women. It is unknown to what extent omega fatty acid serum concentrations impact natural fertility. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A nested, case-control study was conducted consisting of 200 participants [fertile: conceived within 3 cycles of attempt (n = 50), subfertile: conceived within 4 and 12 cycles of attempt (n = 100) and infertile: did not conceive within 12 cycles of attempt (n = 50)] randomly selected from the Time to Conceive cohort, a prospective time-to-pregnancy study (2008 to 2015). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS In the Time to Conceive study, women aged 30-44 years who were trying to conceive for <3 months and had no history of infertility were recruited and followed until the end of their pregnancy or ~1 year of pregnancy attempt. For this study, serum collected early in the woman's pregnancy attempt was analysed for anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid concentrations by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The primary outcome was a positive home pregnancy test. The secondary outcomes were miscarriage and serum AMH level. A discrete-time Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the fecundability ratio. The odds ratios for miscarriage were calculated using logistic regression. The association between serum omega fatty acid concentrations and AMH level (natural log transformed) was analysed using Pearson's Correlation. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE A total of 200 women provided 1321 cycles for analysis.Mean omega-3, omega-6 and omega-6:omega-3 ratios did not significantly differ between the fertile, subfertile and infertile groups. There were no associations (all fecundability ratios ~1.0) between pregnancy and individual omega-3 fatty acid concentrations, including alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, or omega-6 fatty acids, including linoleic acid (LA), dihommo-gamma linolenic acid and arachidonic acid. There was no significant association between any individual omega fatty acid serum concentration and the age-adjusted odds of miscarriage. No association was found between any serum omega fatty acid concentration and AMH. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION This study is limited by the sample size. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid concentrations were derived from serum provided at a single timepoint in the first cycle of enrollment. Serum concentrations may therefore not be representative of all critical timepoints in the menstrual cycle or throughout their attempts to conceive. Additionally, women enrolled in this study were 30 years of age and older, and therefore the findings may not apply to younger women. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS These data would suggest that omega-3 and omega-6 serum levels are not associated with natural fertility or risk of miscarriage. However, due to the above-mentioned limitations, future investigation is still needed to determine whether omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may benefit women planning to conceive naturally. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was supported by the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, by the NIH/NICHD (R21 HD060229-01 and R01 HD067683-01) and, in part, by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Z01ES103333). Dr. Jukic received vitamin D supplements for a research study from Theralogix, Inc. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Stanhiser
- Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Anne Marie Z Jukic
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Anne Z Steiner
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
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van Eekelen R, Putter H, McLernon DJ, Eijkemans MJ, van Geloven N. A comparison of the beta-geometric model with landmarking for dynamic prediction of time to pregnancy. Biom J 2020; 62:175-190. [PMID: 31738461 PMCID: PMC6973003 DOI: 10.1002/bimj.201900155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
We conducted a simulation study to compare two methods that have been recently used in clinical literature for the dynamic prediction of time to pregnancy. The first is landmarking, a semi-parametric method where predictions are updated as time progresses using the patient subset still at risk at that time point. The second is the beta-geometric model that updates predictions over time from a parametric model estimated on all data and is specific to applications with a discrete time to event outcome. The beta-geometric model introduces unobserved heterogeneity by modelling the chance of an event per discrete time unit according to a beta distribution. Due to selection of patients with lower chances as time progresses, the predicted probability of an event decreases over time. Both methods were recently used to develop models predicting the chance to conceive naturally. The advantages, disadvantages and accuracy of these two methods are unknown. We simulated time-to-pregnancy data according to different scenarios. We then compared the two methods by the following out-of-sample metrics: bias and root mean squared error in the average prediction, root mean squared error in individual predictions, Brier score and c statistic. We consider different scenarios including data-generating mechanisms for which the models are misspecified. We applied the two methods on a clinical dataset comprising 4999 couples. Finally, we discuss the pros and cons of the two methods based on our results and present recommendations for use of either of the methods in different settings and (effective) sample sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rik van Eekelen
- Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Academic Medical CentreUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Hein Putter
- Medical Statistics, Department of Biomedical Data SciencesLeiden University Medical CentreLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - David J. McLernon
- Medical Statistics TeamInstitute of Applied Health SciencesUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK
| | - Marinus J. Eijkemans
- Department of Biostatistics and Research Support, Julius CentreUniversity Medical Centre UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Nan van Geloven
- Medical Statistics, Department of Biomedical Data SciencesLeiden University Medical CentreLeidenThe Netherlands
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Abstract
Objectives: The primary purpose of the study was to investigate a possible association between uterine fibroids and time to pregnancy (TTP), and, secondly, to explore the effect of myomectomy on TTP.Methods: This historical cohort study used data from the Danish National Birth Cohort and the Danish National Patient Registry. The study population consisted of 86,323 women with 92,696 pregnancies. The main outcome was TTP; groups were compared using a binary outcome: TTP >12 months or TTP ≤12 months.Results: Women who had a fibroid diagnosis code before attempting to conceive (n = 92) had an increased risk of TTP >12 months compared with women without a fibroid diagnosis code (n = 87,358) (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.67; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05, 6.68). Women who had a fibroid diagnosis code after pregnancy (n = 963) also had an increased risk of TTP >12 months compared with women without a fibroid diagnosis code (adjusted OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.04, 1.47).Conclusion: We found an association between having a uterine fibroid diagnosis code and TTP >12 months. We were not able to make a valid assessment of the effect of myomectomy on TTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamilla Karlsen
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Ole Mogensen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Peter Humaidana
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,The Fertility Clinic, Skive Regional Hospital, Skive, Denmark.,Faculty of Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ulrik S Kesmodel
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.,Faculty of Health, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Pernille Ravn
- Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
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Hong X, Zhao J, Huang K, Dai Q, Zhang H, Xuan Y, Wu J, Fang S, Wang Q, Shen H, Xu Z, Zhang Y, Yan D, Qi D, Yang X, Zhang Y, Ma X, Wang B. Preconception blood pressure and time to pregnancy among couples attempting to conceive their first pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2019; 221:470.e1-470.e10. [PMID: 31152709 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2019.05.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The association of abnormal blood pressure levels (including hypertension and prehypertension) with reduced fecundability among young childbearing-age couples is not yet elucidated completely. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between abnormal preconception blood pressure level and time to pregnancy among couples who are attempting to conceive their first pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN A total of 2,234,350 eligible couples (with no previous gravidity and whose female partners were 20-49 years old) participated in the National Free Preconception Check-up Projects from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2016. Each couples' preconception blood pressure levels were measured, and time to pregnancy was recorded. Cox models for discrete survival time were used to estimate fecundability odds ratios and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals after adjustment for age, ethnicity, educational level, occupation, household registration, region, tobacco exposure, alcohol intake, body mass index, duration of marriage of the couples, and fasting plasma glucose levels of the female partner. RESULTS Compared with normotensive women, those women with hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg) had a 21% lower pregnancy rate (fecundability odds ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.78-0.81). A similar finding was found among men (fecundability odds ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.88-0.90). Prehypertension (systolic blood pressure between 120 and 139 mm Hg, and/or a diastolic blood pressure between 80 and 89 mm Hg) in both male and female partners was associated slightly with reduced fecundability odds ratios. Compared with couples in which both partners were normotensive, the pregnancy rate was reduced by 27% (fecundability odds ratio, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.69-0.77) among couples in which both partners had hypertension. CONCLUSION Abnormal preconception blood pressure levels were associated with prolonged time to pregnancy among couples who were attempting to conceive their first pregnancy; the mechanism is worth further investigation.
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Yeum D, Ju S, Cox KJ, Zhang Y, Stanford JB, Porucznik CA. Association between peri-conceptional bisphenol A exposure in women and men and time to pregnancy-The HOPE study. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2019; 33:397-404. [PMID: 31468552 PMCID: PMC7243339 DOI: 10.1111/ppe.12578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Revised: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bisphenol A (BPA) is a non-persistent endocrine-disrupting chemical with nearly ubiquitous, involuntary exposure. Previous studies have shown that BPA causes reproductive dysfunction in animal models, but there are limited data regarding the effects of BPA exposure on time to pregnancy (TTP) in humans. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether peri-conceptional BPA exposure of women and men is associated with couples' TTP. METHODS A total of 164 heterosexual couples (164 women; 163 men) who have available BPA information as well as time to pregnancy from the Home Observation of Peri-conceptional Exposures (HOPE) Study were included and were followed up to 12 months. Women collected first-morning urine samples starting at the beginning of the fertile window and continued until the onset of menses or 18 days after the estimated day of ovulation (EDO+18 days). The time to pregnancy (TTP) after the enrolment was self-reported and used for the analysis. Discrete-time Cox proportional hazards models were performed to generate fecundability odds ratio (FOR) between BPA and TTP after adjusting for education and age, accounting for right censoring and prior number of cycles trying to conceive. RESULTS Among 164 couples, 125 couples became pregnant during the study. There was no association between TTP and peri-conceptional BPA exposure for both men (FOR 1.02, 95% CI 0.72, 1.47) and women (FOR 1.07, 95% CI 0.75, 1.53) after adjusting for education and age. CONCLUSIONS No association was found between peri-conceptional BPA exposure and fecundability in this preconception cohort of relatively young, healthy pregnancy planners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dabin Yeum
- Division of Public Health, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Shinyoung Ju
- University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Kyley J. Cox
- University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Yue Zhang
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Joseph B. Stanford
- Division of Public Health, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Christina A. Porucznik
- Division of Public Health, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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Jukic AMZ, Baird DD, Weinberg CR, Wilcox AJ, McConnaughey DR, Steiner AZ. Pre-conception 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and fecundability. Hum Reprod 2019; 34:2163-2172. [PMID: 31665286 PMCID: PMC7209776 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dez170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Is pre-conception 25(OH)D associated with the per cycle probability of conception, i.e fecundability, in a prospective cohort study? SUMMARY ANSWER There are suggestive associations of high 25(OH)D (at least 50 ng/ml) with increased fecundability and low 25(OH)D (<20 ng/ml) with reduced fecundability, but the estimates were imprecise. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Vitamin D has been associated with reproductive function and fertility in animal studies, but few human studies exist. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This community-based prospective cohort study included 522 women attempting to become pregnant between 2010 and 2016. The women completed online daily and monthly diaries until a positive home pregnancy test was observed or 12 months had elapsed. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The study included women from central North Carolina who were aged 30-44 with no history of infertility, with no more than 3 months of attempt time at recruitment. Women recorded vaginal bleeding so that the ongoing number of attempt cycles could be counted and used to quantify a woman's pregnancy attempt time. Blood collected at the study entry was analysed for 25(OH)D using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Associations with fecundability were estimated with a log-binomial discrete time-to-event model. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Among 522 women, 257 conceived during the study. The mean age was 33 years and the mean 25(OH)D was 36 ng/ml. There was an estimated 10% higher fecundability with each 10 ng/ml increase in 25(OH)D (fecundability ratio (FR) 1.10, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.25). The suggestive dose-response association with the continuous measure of 25(OH)D was driven by women in the lowest and the highest categories of 25(OH)D. Compared to women with 25(OH)D of 30-40 ng/ml, women below 20 ng/ml had an estimated 45% reduction in fecundability (FR (CI): 0.55 (0.23, 1.32)), and women with at least 50 ng/ml had an estimated 35% increase in fecundability (FR (CI): 1.35 (0.95, 1.91)). Across these three categories (25(OH)D of <20 ng/ml, 30-40 ng/ml and > 50 ng/ml), the probability of taking longer than 6 months to conceive was, respectively, 51% (17%, 74%), 28% (17%, 39%) and 15% (10%, 37%). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION While the distribution of 25(OH)D was wide, the number of observed cycles with high 25(OH)D (N = 107) or low 25(OH)D (N = 56) was small. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Our findings are consistent with prior reports of reduced fertility in women with 25(OH)D concentrations below the clinically defined deficiency level (20 ng/ml). Further studies are needed to evaluate the possible reproductive benefits of considerably higher 25(OH)D concentration (>50 ng/ml). STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This research was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award numbers R00HD079659 and R01HD067683 and supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, under projects ES103086, ES049003 and ES044003. ClearBlue ovulation predictor kits were generously donated to AMZJ and AJW by Swiss Precision Diagnostics. Drs Wilcox and Jukic report non-financial support from Swiss Precision Diagnostics during the conduct of the study; Dr Jukic reports non-financial support from Theralogix, LLC, outside the submitted work. Otherwise there are no competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Z Jukic
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, One Church St, 6th floor, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, PO Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - D D Baird
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, PO Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - C R Weinberg
- Biostatistics and Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, PO Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - A J Wilcox
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, PO Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | | | - A Z Steiner
- Duke University Hospital, 5704 Fayetteville Road, Durham, NC 27713, USA
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