Dataset Information

Time-Varying Exposure to Air Pollution and Outcomes of in Vitro Fertilization among Couples from a Fertility Clinic.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:A few studies suggest that air pollution may decrease fertility, but prospective studies and examinations of windows of susceptibility remain unclear. OBJECTIVE:We aimed to examine the association between time-varying exposure to nitrogen dioxide ([Formula: see text]), ozone ([Formula: see text]), fine particulate matter [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]), and black carbon (BC) on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. METHODS:We included 345 women (522 IVF cycles) for the [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] analyses and 339 women (512 IVF cycles) for the BC analysis enrolled in a prospective cohort at a Boston fertility center (2004–2015). We used validated spatiotemporal models to estimate daily residential exposure to [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and BC. Multivariable discrete time Cox proportional hazards models with four periods [ovarian stimulation (OS), oocyte retrieval to embryo transfer (ET), ET to implantation, implantation to live birth] estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of failing at IVF. Time-dependent interactions were used to identify vulnerable periods. RESULTS:An interquartile range (IQR) increase in [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and BC throughout the IVF cycle was associated with an elevated odds of failing at IVF prior to live birth ([Formula: see text], 95% CI: 0.95, 1.23 for [Formula: see text]; [Formula: see text], 95% CI: 0.88, 1.28 for [Formula: see text]; and [Formula: see text], 95% CI: 0.96, 1.41 for BC). This relationship significantly varied across the IVF cycle such that the association with higher exposure to air pollution during OS was strongest for early IVF failures. An IQR increase in [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and BC exposure during OS was associated with 1.42 (95% CI: 1.20, 1.69), 1.26 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.67), and 1.23 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.59) times the odds of failing prior to oocyte retrieval, and 1.32 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.54), 1.27 (95% CI: 0.98, 1.65), and 1.32 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.59) times the odds of failing prior to ET. CONCLUSION:Increased exposure to traffic-related pollutants was associated with higher odds of early IVF failure. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4601.

SUBMITTER: Gaskins AJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6792363 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Time-Varying Exposure to Air Pollution and Outcomes of in Vitro Fertilization among Couples from a Fertility Clinic.

Gaskins Audrey J AJ Fong Kelvin C KC Abu Awad Yara Y Di Qian Q Mínguez-Alarcón Lidia L Chavarro Jorge E JE Ford Jennifer B JB Coull Brent A BA Schwartz Joel J Kloog Itai I Souter Irene I Hauser Russ R Laden Francine F

Environmental health perspectives 20190703 7

<h4>Background</h4>A few studies suggest that air pollution may decrease fertility, but prospective studies and examinations of windows of susceptibility remain unclear.<h4>Objective</h4>We aimed to examine the association between time-varying exposure to nitrogen dioxide ([Formula: see text]), ozone ([Formula: see text]), fine particulate matter [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]), and black carbon (BC) on <i>in vitro</i> fertilization (IVF) outcomes.<h4>Methods</h4>We included 345 women ...[more]

PMID: 31268361

Similar Datasets

Project description:STUDY QUESTIONDoes ambient air pollution affect fecundability?SUMMARY ANSWERWhile cycle-average air pollution exposure was not associated with fecundability, we observed some associations for acute exposure around ovulation and implantation with fecundability.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYAmbient air pollution exposure has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and decrements in semen quality.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONThe LIFE study (2005-2009), a prospective time-to-pregnancy study, enrolled 501 couples who were followed for up to one year of attempting pregnancy.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSAverage air pollutant exposure was assessed for the menstrual cycle before and during the proliferative phase of each observed cycle (n = 500 couples; n = 2360 cycles) and daily acute exposure was assessed for sensitive windows of each observed cycle (n = 440 couples; n = 1897 cycles). Discrete-time survival analysis modeled the association between fecundability and an interquartile range increase in each pollutant, adjusting for co-pollutants, site, age, race/ethnicity, parity, body mass index, smoking, income and education.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCECycle-average air pollutant exposure was not associated with fecundability. In acute models, fecundability was diminished with exposure to ozone the day before ovulation and nitrogen oxides 8 days post ovulation (fecundability odds ratio [FOR] 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72, 0.96 and FOR 0.84, 95% CI: 0.71, 0.99, respectively). However, particulate matter ?10 microns 6 days post ovulation was associated with greater fecundability (FOR 1.25, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.54).LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTIONAlthough our study was unlikely to be biased due to confounding, misclassification of air pollution exposure and the moderate study size may have limited our ability to detect an association between ambient air pollution and fecundability.WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGSWhile no associations were observed for cycle-average ambient air pollution exposure, consistent with past research in the United States, exposure during critical windows of hormonal variability was associated with prospectively measured couple fecundability, warranting further investigation.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 (Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment study contract nos. #N01-HD-3-3355, NO1-HD-#-3356, N01-HD-3-3358 and the Air Quality and Reproductive Health Study Contract No. HHSN275200800002I, Task Order No. HHSN27500008). We declare no conflict of interest.

Project description:Study questionIs dairy food consumption associated with live birth among women undergoing infertility treatment?Summary answerThere was a positive association between total dairy food consumption and live birth among women ≥35 years of age.What is known alreadyDairy food intake has been previously related to infertility risk and measures of fertility potential but its relation to infertility treatment outcomes are unknown.Study design, size, durationOur study population comprised a total of 232 women undergoing 353 in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment cycles between February 2007 and May 2013, from the Environment and Reproductive Health study, an ongoing prospective cohort.Participants/materials, setting, methodsDiet was assessed before assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Study outcomes included ovarian stimulation outcomes (endometrial thickness, estradiol levels and oocyte yield), fertilization rates, embryo quality measures and clinical outcomes (implantation, clinical pregnancy and live birth rates). We used generalized linear mixed models with random intercepts to account for multiple ART cycles per woman while simultaneously adjusting for age, caloric intake, BMI, race, smoking status, infertility diagnosis, protocol type, alcohol intake and dietary patterns.Main results and the role of chanceThe age- and calorie-adjusted difference in live birth between women in the highest (>3.0 servings/day) and lowest (<1.34 servings/day) quartile of dairy intake was 21% (P = 0.02). However, after adjusting for additional covariates, this association was observed only among women ≥35 years (P, interaction = 0.04). The multivariable-adjusted live birth (95% CI) in increasing quartiles of total dairy intake was 23% (11, 42%), 39% (24, 56%), 29% (17, 47%) and 55% (39, 69%) (P, trend = 0.02) among women ≥35 years old, and ranged from 46 to 54% among women <35 years old (P, trend = 0.69). There was no association between dairy intake and any of the intermediate outcomes.Limitations, reasons for cautionThe lack of a known biological mechanism linking dairy intake to infertility treatment outcomes calls for caution when interpreting these results and for additional work to corroborate or refute them.Wider implications of the findingsDairy intake does not appear to harm IVF outcomes and, if anything, is associated with higher chances of live birth.Study funding/competing interestsThis work was supported by NIH grants R01-ES009718 and R01ES000002 from NIEHS, P30 DK046200 from NIDDK and T32HD060454 from NICHD. M.C.A. was supported by a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award T32 DK 007703-16 from NIDDK. She is currently employed at the Nestlé Research Center, Switzerland and completed this work while at the Harvard School of Public Health. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Project description:Study questionAre urinary BPA concentrations associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes among women attending an academic fertility center?Summary answerUrinary BPA concentrations were not associated with adverse reproductive and pregnancy outcomes among women from a fertility clinic.What is known alreadyBisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, is detected in the urine of most Americans. Although animal studies have demonstrated that BPA reduces female fertility through effects on the ovarian follicle and uterus, data from human populations are scarce and equivocal.Study design, size and durationThis prospective cohort study between 2004 and 2012 at the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center included 256 women (n = 375 IVF cycles) who provided up to two urine samples prior to oocyte retrieval (total N = 673).Participants/materials, settings, methodsStudy participants were women enrolled in the Environment and Reproductive Health (EARTH) Study. Intermediate and clinical end-points of IVF treatments were abstracted from electronic medical records. We used generalized linear mixed models with random intercepts to evaluate the association between urinary BPA concentrations and IVF outcomes adjusted by age, race, body mass index, smoking status and infertility diagnosis.Main results and the role of chanceThe specific gravity-adjusted geometric mean of BPA was 1.87 µg/l, which is comparable to that for female participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2012. Urinary BPA concentrations were not associated with endometrial wall thickness, peak estradiol levels, proportion of high quality embryos or fertilization rates. Furthermore, there were no associations between urinary BPA concentrations and implantation, clinical pregnancy or live birth rates per initiated cycle or per embryo transfer. Although we did not find any associations between urinary BPA concentrations and IVF outcomes, the relation between BPA and endometrial wall thickness was modified by age. Younger women (<37 years old) had thicker endometrial thickness across increasing quartiles of urinary BPA concentrations, while older women (≥37 years old) had thinner endometrial thickness across increasing quartiles of urinary BPA concentrations.Limitations, reasons for cautionLimitations to this study include a possible misclassification of BPA exposure and difficulties in extrapolating the findings to the general population.Wider implications of the findingsData on the relation between urinary BPA concentrations and reproductive outcomes remain scarce and additional research is needed to clarify its role in human reproduction.Study funding/competing interestsThis work was supported by NIH grants R01ES022955, R01ES009718 and R01ES000002 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and grant T32DK00770316 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). None of the authors has any conflicts of interest to declare. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Use of organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs) has increased over the past decade following the phase out of some brominated flame retardants, leading to increased human exposure. We recently reported that increasing maternal PFR exposure is associated with poorer pregnancy outcomes among women from a fertility clinic. Because a small epidemiologic study previously reported an inverse association between male PFR exposures and sperm motility, we sought to examine associations of paternal urinary concentrations of PFR metabolites and their partner's pregnancy outcomes. METHODS:This analysis included 201 couples enrolled in the Environment and Reproductive Health (EARTH) prospective cohort study (2005-2015) who provided one or two urine samples per IVF cycle. In both the male and female partner, we measured five urinary PFR metabolites [bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP), diphenyl phosphate (DPHP), isopropylphenyl phenyl phosphate (ip-PPP), tert-butylphenyl phenyl phosphate (tb-PPP) and bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCIPP)] using negative electrospray ionization liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The sum of the molar concentrations of the urinary PFR metabolites was calculated. We used multivariable generalized linear mixed models to evaluate the association of urinary concentrations of paternal PFR metabolites with IVF outcomes, accounting for multiple in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles per couple. Models were adjusted for year of IVF treatment cycle, primary infertility diagnosis, and maternal urinary PFR metabolites as well as paternal and maternal age, body mass index, and race/ethnicity. RESULTS:Detection rates were high for paternal urinary concentrations of BDCIPP (84%), DPHP (87%) and ip-PPP (76%) but low for tb-PPP (12%) and zero for BCIPP (0%). We observed a significant 12% decline in the proportion of fertilized oocytes from the first to second quartile of male urinary ?PFR and a 47% decline in the number of best quality embryos from the first to third quartile of male urinary BDCIPP in our adjusted models. An 8% decline in fertilization was observed for the highest compared to lowest quartile of urinary BDCIPP concentrations (95% CI: 0.01, 0.12, p-trend=0.06). CONCLUSIONS:Using IVF as a model to investigate human reproduction and pregnancy outcomes, we found that paternal urinary concentrations of BDCIPP were associated with reduced fertilization. In contrast to previously reported findings for the female partners, the paternal urinary PFR metabolites were not associated with the proportion of cycles resulting in successful implantation, clinical pregnancy, and live birth. These results indicate that paternal preconception exposure to TDCIPP may adversely impact successful oocyte fertilization, whereas female preconception exposure to ?PFRs may be more relevant to adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Dataset Information

Time-Varying Exposure to Air Pollution and Outcomes of in Vitro Fertilization among Couples from a Fertility Clinic.

Publications

Time-Varying Exposure to Air Pollution and Outcomes of in Vitro Fertilization among Couples from a Fertility Clinic.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets