2024-07-28 17:20:26
Researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, are studying the health effects of air pollution and have found an effect on reproductive capabilities, including in patients being treated for infertility, reported the electronic edition “MedicalExpress”.
In the study, published in the journal Fertility & Sterility, authors from the University of Portland found that patients who underwent IVF and were exposed to wildfire smoke during the developmental phase formed less blastocysts, from which a pregnancy can subsequently be obtained, BTA reported.
Scientific evidence is mounting that chronic exposure to poor air quality, often from heavy pollution or smoking, is associated with limited reproductive opportunities. So the study authors focused on the effect of wildfires in 2020, when air quality in the state of Oregon was temporarily ranked as one of the worst in the world and set historical records.
“Unfortunately, the reality we’re seeing is more wildfires because of climate change, so I’m worried about how this will continue to affect not only patients undergoing infertility treatment, but all people trying to have a child,” he said. lead study author Molly Kornfield, MD, professor of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the Oregon Health & Science University Center for Women’s Health.
Her team studied 69 patients who underwent ovarian stimulation and IVF treatment over six weeks prior to the September 2020 Oregon wildfires, which saw ten days of unhealthy air quality in the state.
The scientists found that exposure to smoke from the wildfires during the developmental phase resulted in fewer blastocysts than patients in the control group who were not exposed to polluted air.