Medical Factors
Publications under ‘Medical Factors’ examine the association of mental and physical medical conditions as well as medication use with fertility and reproductive outcomes.
Women who used naproxen and opioids in the past month had slightly lower fecundability than women who did not use any pain medications. Other pain-relieving medications (acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen) were not associated with fecundability.
Women with severe symptoms of depression had lower fecundability than women with no or low symptoms of depression. Current or past use of medications for mental health conditions was not associated with reduced fecundability.
Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) was not associated with fecundability among men or women overall. However, among women with a history of sexually transmitted infections or pelvic inflammatory disease, HPV vaccination was associated with higher fecundability.
Women with severe symptoms of depression and higher perceived stress were more likely to have irregular menstrual cycles. Use of medications for mental health conditions was not related to menstrual cycle regularity or length, after accounting for history of anxiety or depression diagnoses.
Among women, higher perceived stress was associated with slightly lower fecundability. Among men, perceived stress was not associated with fecundability.
Among women, history of diagnosed asthma and asthma medication use were not associated with fecundability.
Women who used psychotropic medications (such as anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications) during pregnancy had an average gestation 1 week shorter than women who never used psychotropic medications.
Preconception influenza vaccination (“flu shot”) in either the male or female partner was not associated with reduced fecundability.
A history of treatments for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or abnormal Paps was not associated with fecundability.
We compared time-to-pregnancy among couples who had received the COVID-19 vaccine with those who were unvaccinated. We also assessed differences in time-to-pregnancy by ever testing positive for COVID-19. We found that COVID-19 vaccination in either partner was not related to time-to-pregnancy, but that a recent COVID-19 infection (within the past 60 days) among male partners was associated with a slightly longer time-to-pregnancy (delayed conception).
This study evaluated associations between asthma diagnosis, asthma severity, and miscarriage. The investigators found no association between history of asthma and miscarriage. However, participants with a history of severe asthma had a greater incidence of miscarriage compared with those who had never been diagnosed with asthma. The take-home message is that female pregnancy planners with asthma should prioritize control of their symptoms.
We found evidence of an association between self-reported diagnosis of preconception periodontitis (chronic inflammatory gum disease) and a longer time to conception, after accounting for other important factors such as smoking.
We examined time-to-pregnancy as a risk factor for subsequent post-partum depressive symptoms. Participants who took a longer time to conceive were more likely to experience symptoms of post-partum depression, after accounting for important confounders such as a history of mental health conditions. Reported stress during early pregnancy explained part of the observed association.