Lifestyle and Reproductive Health among Women prior to Conception

Health and lifestyle is of great importance when women intend to become pregnant, as well as during pregnancy. It is crucial that people seeking for infertility are aware of which lifestyle changes they can undertake to enhance the likelihood of treatment success. The overall aim of this project was to investigate the extent to which women comply with recommendations for lifestyle changes during the time they try to conceive and during early pregnancy and the impact of lifestyle risk factors on treatment results in sub-fertile women. Lifestyle factors and mental health at baseline and lifestyle changes women made while they were trying to conceive were assessed by a study-specific questionnaire. Both pregnant women and non-pregnant sub-fertile women in the mid-Sweden region were included. The level of pregnancy planning was associated with planning behavior. Only one-third of all pregnant women took folic acid one month prior to conception, 17% used tobacco daily and 11% used alcohol weekly three months before conception. In the sub-fertile non-pregnant women cohort, 13.2% used tobacco daily, 13.6% drank more than three cups of coffee per day, and 11.6% consumed more than two glasses of alcohol weekly. Among sub-fertile women, one-third were overweight or obese. Pregnant women who conceived with Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) reported lower rates of anxiety and depression symptoms compared to sub-fertile women. They also showed no difference in depression and anxiety symptoms compared to women who conceived naturally. Among sub-fertile women undergoing their first IVF treatment cycle, an independent as well as a cumulative effect of smoking and BMI on the number of aspirated oocytes and the proportion of mature oocytes was observed, especially among women with low ovarian reserve. In conclusion, approximately half of the women in our studies retained habits with negative effects on fertility. This is worrying because the harmful consequences of negative lifestyle factors are well established. These negative lifestyle factors are easy to detect and adjust at an early stage in the assessment process and might allow for optimization of fertility treatment and pregnancy outcomes

Lifestyle and Reproductive Health among Women prior to Conception

Health and lifestyle is of great importance when women intend to become pregnant, as well as during pregnancy. It is crucial that people seeking for infertility are aware of which lifestyle changes they can undertake to enhance the likelihood of treatment success. The overall aim of this project was to investigate the extent to which women comply with recommendations for lifestyle changes during the time they try to conceive and during early pregnancy and the impact of lifestyle risk factors on treatment results in sub-fertile women. Lifestyle factors and mental health at baseline and lifestyle changes women made while they were trying to conceive were assessed by a study-specific questionnaire. Both pregnant women and non-pregnant sub-fertile women in the mid-Sweden region were included. The level of pregnancy planning was associated with planning behavior. Only one-third of all pregnant women took folic acid one month prior to conception, 17% used tobacco daily and 11% used alcohol weekly three months before conception. In the sub-fertile non-pregnant women cohort, 13.2% used tobacco daily, 13.6% drank more than three cups of coffee per day, and 11.6% consumed more than two glasses of alcohol weekly. Among sub-fertile women, one-third were overweight or obese. Pregnant women who conceived with Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) reported lower rates of anxiety and depression symptoms compared to sub-fertile women. They also showed no difference in depression and anxiety symptoms compared to women who conceived naturally. Among sub-fertile women undergoing their first IVF treatment cycle, an independent as well as a cumulative effect of smoking and BMI on the number of aspirated oocytes and the proportion of mature oocytes was observed, especially among women with low ovarian reserve. In conclusion, approximately half of the women in our studies retained habits with negative effects on fertility. This is worrying because the harmful consequences of negative lifestyle factors are well established. These negative lifestyle factors are easy to detect and adjust at an early stage in the assessment process and might allow for optimization of fertility treatment and pregnancy outcomes

Lifestyle and Reproductive Health among Women prior to Conception

Health and lifestyle is of great importance when women intend to become pregnant, as well as during pregnancy. It is crucial that people seeking for infertility are aware of which lifestyle changes they can undertake to enhance the likelihood of treatment success. The overall aim of this project was to investigate the extent to which women comply with recommendations for lifestyle changes during the time they try to conceive and during early pregnancy and the impact of lifestyle risk factors on treatment results in sub-fertile women. Lifestyle factors and mental health at baseline and lifestyle changes women made while they were trying to conceive were assessed by a study-specific questionnaire. Both pregnant women and non-pregnant sub-fertile women in the mid-Sweden region were included. The level of pregnancy planning was associated with planning behavior. Only one-third of all pregnant women took folic acid one month prior to conception, 17% used tobacco daily and 11% used alcohol weekly three months before conception. In the sub-fertile non-pregnant women cohort, 13.2% used tobacco daily, 13.6% drank more than three cups of coffee per day, and 11.6% consumed more than two glasses of alcohol weekly. Among sub-fertile women, one-third were overweight or obese. Pregnant women who conceived with Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) reported lower rates of anxiety and depression symptoms compared to sub-fertile women. They also showed no difference in depression and anxiety symptoms compared to women who conceived naturally. Among sub-fertile women undergoing their first IVF treatment cycle, an independent as well as a cumulative effect of smoking and BMI on the number of aspirated oocytes and the proportion of mature oocytes was observed, especially among women with low ovarian reserve. In conclusion, approximately half of the women in our studies retained habits with negative effects on fertility. This is worrying because the harmful consequences of negative lifestyle factors are well established. These negative lifestyle factors are easy to detect and adjust at an early stage in the assessment process and might allow for optimization of fertility treatment and pregnancy outcomes

Do subfertile women adjust their habits when trying to conceive?

AbstractAIM: The aim of this study was to investigate lifestyle habits and lifestyle adjustments among subfertile women trying to conceive. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women (n = 747) were recruited consecutively at their first visit to fertility clinics in mid-Sweden. Participants completed a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using logistic regression, t tests, and chi-square tests. RESULTS: The response rate was 62% (n = 466). Mean duration of infertility was 1.9 years. During this time 13.2% used tobacco daily, 13.6% drank more than three cups of coffee per day, and 11.6% consumed more than two glasses of alcohol weekly. In this sample, 23.9% of the women were overweight (body mass index, BMI 25-29.9 kg/m(2)), and 12.5% were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m(2)). Obese women exercised more and changed to healthy diets more frequently than normal-weight women (odds ratio 7.43; 95% confidence interval 3.7-14.9). Six out of ten women (n = 266) took folic acid when they started trying to conceive, but 11% stopped taking folic acid after some time. Taking folic acid was associated with a higher level of education (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among subfertile women, one-third were overweight or obese, and some had other lifestyle factors with known adverse effects on fertility such as use of tobacco. Overweight and obese women adjusted their habits but did not reduce their body mass index. Women of fertile age would benefit from preconception counseling, and the treatment of infertility should routinely offer interventions for lifestyle changes. KEYWORDS: Alcohol consumption; assisted reproduction; diet; infertility; lifestyle; obesity; pregnancy; tobacco us

Physical and Sedentary Activities in Association with Reproductive Outcomes among Couples Seeking Infertility Treatment: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of physical activity (PA) with assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment and pregnancy outcomes among couples seeking infertility treatment. Methods: This prospective cohort study was carried out among 128 infertile individuals (64 couples), entering the infertility clinic for ART procedures. Baseline PA (before entering any treatment) was assessed using accelerometry for both women and men. For every couple the infertility treatment outcomes were recorded. Results: The couples that required invasive ART procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) spent less time in vigorous PA (-73 min/week per couple, woman + man) than those couples who became spontaneously pregnant after entering the study (p = 0.001). We observed no significant associations between the time spent in physical activities and positive pregnancy test or live birth. Conclusions: Our results do not support a positive nor negative relation between the time the couples spent in physical activities and the chances of getting pregnant or having a baby among patients seeking infertility treatment. However, couples undergoing invasive ART procedures did less vigorous PA than couples that became spontaneously pregnant, suggesting that PA may interfere with their reproductive health.Ministry of Education and Research, Estonia IUT3416Enterprise Estonia EU48695European Commission Horizon 2020 research and innovation program 692065Horizon 2020 innovation (ERIN) of the European Commission EU952516MSCA-RISE-2015 project MOMENDO 691058University of TartuSpanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO) RYC2016-21199 ENDORE SAF2017-87526-REuropean Commission RYC2016-21199 ENDORE SAF2017-87526-RFEDER/Junta de Andalucía - Consejería de Economía y Conocimiento: MENDO B-CTS-500-UGR18University of Granada Plan Propio de Investigación 2016-Excellence action: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES)University of Granada Plan Propio de Investigación 2016-Excellence action: Plan Propio de Investigación 2018-Programa Contratos-PuenteJunta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidades, European Regional Development Funds SOMM17/6107/UGRKarolinska Institutet 2011FoBi118

Is pregnancy planning associated with background characteristics and pregnancy planning behavior?

INTRODUCTION: Prevalence of planned pregnancies varies between countries but is often measured in a dichotomous manner. The aim of this study was to investigate to what level pregnant women had planned their pregnancies and whether pregnancy planning was associated with background characteristics and pregnancy planning behavior. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study that utilized the baseline measurements from the Swedish Pregnancy Planning (SWEPP) study. Pregnant women (n= 3390) recruited at antenatal clinics answered a questionnaire. Data were analyzed with multinomial logistic regression, Kruskal-Wallis H and χ(2) tests. RESULTS: Three out of four pregnancies were very or fairly planned and 12 % fairly or very unplanned. Of women with very unplanned pregnancies, 32 % had considered an induced abortion. Women with planned pregnancies were more likely to have a higher level of education, higher household income, to be currently working ≥50 %, and to have longer relationships than women with unplanned pregnancies. The level of pregnancy planning was associated with planning behavior, such as information seeking and intake of folic acid, but without a reduction in alcohol consumption. One third of all women took folic acid one month prior to conception, 17 % used tobacco daily and 11 % used alcohol weekly three months before conception. CONCLUSIONS: A majority rated their pregnancy as very or fairly planned, with socio-economic factors as explanatory variables. The level of pregnancy planning should be queried routinely to enable individualized counselling, especially for women with unplanned pregnancies. Preconception recommendations need to be established and communicated to the public to increase health promoting planning behavior

Is pregnancy planning associated with background characteristics and pregnancy-planning behavior?

Introduction Prevalence of planned pregnancies varies between countries but is often measured in a dichotomous manner. The aim of this study was to investigate to what level pregnant women had planned their pregnancies and whether pregnancy planning was associated with background characteristics and pregnancy-planning behavior. Material and methodsA cross-sectional study that utilized the baseline measurements from the Swedish Pregnancy Planning study. Pregnant women (n = 3390) recruited at antenatal clinics answered a questionnaire. Data were analyzed with multinomial logistic regression, Kruskal-Wallis H and chi-squared tests ResultsThree of four pregnancies were very or fairly planned and 12% fairly or very unplanned. Of women with very unplanned pregnancies, 32% had considered an induced abortion. Women with planned pregnancies were more likely to have a higher level of education, higher household income, to be currently working (50%) and to have longer relationships than women with unplanned pregnancies. The level of pregnancy planning was associated with planning behavior, such as information-seeking and intake of folic acid, but without a reduction in alcohol consumption. One-third of all women took folic acid 1 month prior to conception, 17% used tobacco daily and 11% used alcohol weekly 3 months before conception ConclusionsA majority rated their pregnancy as very or fairly planned, with socio-economic factors as explanatory variables. The level of pregnancy planning should be queried routinely to enable individualized counseling, especially for women with unplanned pregnancies. Preconception recommendations need to be established and communicated to the public to increase health promoting planning behavio

Investigating the effect of lifestyle risk factors upon the number of aspirated and mature oocytes in in vitro fertilization cycles : interaction with antral follicle count

There is evidence demonstrating that certain lifestyle factors have a detrimental effect on fertility. Since such factors often coexist, possible synergistic effects merit further investigation. Thus we aimed to examine the cumulative impact of lifestyle factors on in vitro fertilization (IVF) early reproductive treatment outcomes and their interaction with measures of ovarian reserve. Materials and methods By following women who were starting their first fresh IVF cycle in 2 cohorts, the "Lifestyle study cohort" (hypothesis generating cohort, n = 242) and the "UppSTART study" (validation cohort, n = 432) in Sweden, we identified two significant risk factors acting independently, smoking and BMI, and then further assessed their cumulative effects. Results Women with both these risk factors had an Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) of 0.75 [(95% CI 0.61-0.94)] regarding the number of aspirated oocytes compared to women without these risk factors. Concerning the proportion of mature oocytes in relation to the total number of aspirated oocytes, the interaction between BMI and Antral Follicle Count (AFC) was significant (p-value 0.045): the lower the value of AFC, the more harmful the effect of BMI with the outcome. Conclusions Data shows that there is an individual as well as a cumulative effect of smoking and BMI on the number of aspirated and mature oocytes in fresh IVF treatment cycles. AFC might modify associations between BMI and the proportion of mature oocytes in relation to the total number of aspirated oocytes. These results highlight the importance of lifestyle factors on IVF early reproductive outcomes and provide additional evidence for the importance of preconception guidance for the optimization of IVF cycle outcome.