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Study: Smoking, Weight Risks Fertility
Posted April 7, 2005 1:02PM
"Smoking has a devastating impact. It is comparable to adding a decade to the reproductive age of a 20-year old. This means it makes her the equivalent of a 30-year-old non-smoker in reproductive terms," said Professor Didi Braat, from Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center.
Smoking has a devastating impact on a couple's chances of having an IVF baby, researchers said Wednesday.
A study by Dutch scientists found smoking adds the equivalent of 10 years to the reproductive age of a 20-year-old woman whose fertility is poor.
Being excessively overweight also seriously hindered the chances of giving birth after In-Vitro-Fertilization (IVF) treatment, the research showed.
The harmful effects of both smoking and too much weight were strongest among women who had no obvious reason for not conceiving.
Doctors from 12 centers in the Netherlands investigated the success rate of the first cycle of IVF treatment in 8,457 women.
Causes of low fertility were divided into four categories -- fallopian tube problems, male fertility problems, unexplained problems and other reasons such as polycystic ovaries.
Of the total, 1,828 first IVF treatment cycles were for unexplained low fertility. The overall live birth rate was 15.2 percent, but was almost 30 percent lower for smokers than for non-smokers.
Women who smoked were also much more likely to have miscarriages. Around 21 percent lost their babies, compared with 16 percent of non-smokers.
Overweight women reduced their chances of a first treatment live birth by a third. As with smoking, the harmful effect of being overweight was most pronounced for women with unexplained low fertility. Only 14 percent had a live baby, compared with more than 18 percent of normal weight women.
However women who were only slightly overweight were actually more likely to give birth than those of normal weight. Their live birth rate was nearly 21 percent.
Professor Didi Braat, from Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, said "Smoking has a devastating impact. It is comparable to adding a decade to the reproductive age of a 20-year old. This means it makes her the equivalent of a 30-year-old non-smoker in reproductive terms."
The findings were published in the journal Human Reproduction.
Source Internet Unknown - thanks to the author.
Should you wish to discuss this article or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Kirsten Taylor at the New Zealand Health Shop on (09) 378-0444 or email: kirsten@nzhealthshop.co.nz
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