Lifestyle and fertility-specific quality of life affect reproductive outcomes in couples undergoing in vitro fertilization

ObjectiveA Mediterranean dietary pattern, sleeping habits, physical activity, and lifestyle appear to affect reproductive health. There are few reports about whether fertility-specific quality of life (QOL) is linked to infertility treatment outcomes. The aim of this study is to investigate when lifestyle factors and fertility-specific QOL are comprehensively considered, which factors influence assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes.MethodsThis prospective cohort includes 291 women undergoing a first ART treatment at multiple centers in Japan and was designed to evaluate the influence of diet, physical activity, sleeping pattern, computer use duration, and fertility-specific quality of life tool (FertiQoL) score on ART treatment outcomes using a questionnaire. The primary endpoint was the good-quality blastocyst rate per oocyte retrieval and the secondary endpoints were a positive pregnancy test and gestational sac (GS) detection.ResultsThe good-quality blastocyst rate per oocyte retrieval tended to be negatively associated with frequent fish consumption. After all embryo transfer (ET) cycles, a positive pregnancy test tended to be positively associated with longer sleep and longer computer use (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 0.9–2.7 and OR = 1.7, CI = 1.0–2.8, respectively) and negatively associated with a smoking partner (OR = 0.6, CI = 0.3–1.0). GS detection was positively and significantly associated with frequent olive oil intake and longer computer use (OR = 1.7, CI = 1.0–3.0 and OR = 1.7, CI = 1.0–3.0, respectively). After ET cycles with a single blastocyst, a positive pregnancy test was positively and significantly associated with longer computer use (OR = 2.0, CI = 1.1–3.7), while GS detection was significantly more likely in women with longer computer use (OR = 2.1, CI = 1.1–3.8) and tended to be more likely in women with a higher FertiQoL Total scaled treatment score (OR = 1.8, CI = 1.0–3.3). p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant and 0.05 ≤ p <0.01 as tendency.ConclusionsOlive oil may be an important factor in dietary habits. Fertility-specific QOL and smoking cessation guidance for partners are important for infertile couples

Effects of the prenatal and postnatal nurturing environment on the phenotype and gut microbiota of mice with polycystic ovary syndrome induced by prenatal androgen exposure: a cross-fostering study

The gut microbiome is implicated in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and prenatal androgen exposure is involved in the development of PCOS in later life. Our previous study of a mouse model of PCOS induced by prenatal dihydrotestosterone (DHT) exposure showed that the reproductive phenotype of PCOS appears from puberty, followed by the appearance of the metabolic phenotype after young adulthood, while changes in the gut microbiota was already apparent before puberty. To determine whether the prenatal or postnatal nurturing environment primarily contributes to these changes that characterize prenatally androgenized (PNA) offspring, we used a cross-fostering model to evaluate the effects of changes in the postnatal early-life environment of PNA offspring on the development of PCOS-like phenotypes and alterations in the gut microbiota in later life. Female PNA offspring fostered by normal dams (exposed to an abnormal prenatal environment only, fostered PNA) exhibited less marked PCOS-like phenotypes than PNA offspring, especially with respect to the metabolic phenotype. The gut microbiota of the fostered PNA offspring was similar to that of controls before adolescence, but differences between the fostered PNA and control groups became apparent after young adulthood. In conclusion, both prenatal androgen exposure and the postnatal early-life environment created by the DHT injection of mothers contribute to the development of PCOS-like phenotypes and the alterations in the gut microbiota that characterize PNA offspring. Thus, both the pre- and postnatal environments represent targets for the prevention of PCOS and the associated alteration in the gut microbiota in later life