Amsterdam (ots/PRNewswire) – A groundbreaking study presented today at ESHRE 40th Annual Meeting in Amsterdam has found that exposure to particulate matter before egg collection during in vitro fertilization (IVF) can reduce the chances of a live birth by almost 40%.
The study analyzed PM exposure10 in the two weeks before egg retrieval. It found that the likelihood of a live birth decreased by 38% when the highest quartile of exposure was compared to the lowest quartile.
The research, conducted over eight years in Perth, Australia, analyzed 3,659 frozen embryo transfers from 1,836 patients. The study examined air pollutant concentrations over four exposure periods prior to egg retrieval (24 hours, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 3 months), building models to account for co-exposures.
Increasing PM2.5 exposure in the three months before egg retrieval was also associated with a lower likelihood of a live birth, falling from 0.90 in the second quartile to 0.66 in the fourth quartile.
Notably, despite the overall excellent air quality, the negative effects of air pollution were observed during the study period, with PM10 and PM2.5 levels exceeding WHO guidelines on only 0.4% and 4.5% of study days, respectively.
Dr. Sebastian Leathersich, lead author of the study, explains: “This is the first study that has used frozen embryo transfer cycles to separately analyze the effects of pollution during egg development and at the time of embryo transfer and early pregnancy. This allowed us to determine whether the pollution affects the eggs themselves or the early stages of pregnancy.
Dr. Leathersich adds: “Even in a part of the world with excellent air quality, there is a strong negative correlation between air pollution and live birth rates in frozen embryo transfer cycles. Minimizing exposure to pollutants must be a key public health priority.
Professor Dr. Anis Feki, ESHRE Chair-elect, comments: “This important study highlights a significant link between air pollution and lower IVF success rates, with a notable decline in live births associated with higher particulate matter exposure prior to egg retrieval. These results highlight the need to address environmental factors “continue to pay attention to reproductive health”.
The summary of the study is published today in Human Reproduction published, one of the world’s leading specialist journals for reproductive medicine.
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