Brussels - The Hague: Europe and the Arabs
A study published online in the journal JAMA Network Open has shown that poverty, low educational attainment, and low household income are associated with decreased fertility and increased risk of infertility in couples.
Dr. Aline J. Buxum of the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a longitudinal study of women and their partners from before pregnancy to investigate whether poverty and signs of social deprivation are associated with infertility, defined as difficulty conceiving for more than 12 months or the need for assisted reproductive technology, as well as the risk of miscarriage before 22 weeks of pregnancy.
Under the heading "Sample Size," a report by the European News Network in Brussels added: "The study included 3,604 women and 2,557 male partners. The study recorded 2,851 pregnancies among women and 2,830 among men, while the study included 2,515 miscarriages among women and 2,498 among men.
Main Results
The results showed that the average duration of pregnancy was 3.5 months, while 34.6 percent of cases suffered from infertility, and 11.8 percent of cases resulted in miscarriage.
In sub-analyses that included between 2,103 and 2,805 cases, poverty was found to be significantly associated with lower fertility (adjusted fertility rate [FR], 0.61). Low educational level among women and men was also associated with lower fertility compared to high educational level (FRs, 0.61 and 0.72). Household income below €3,000 per month was associated with lower fertility compared to In families with incomes above €6,000 per month (FR, 0.59).
Additional Notes
Demographic and lifestyle factors explained only part of these relationships, and no association was observed between poverty or indicators of social deprivation and the risk of miscarriage.
Conclusion
The researchers concluded that "recognizing the influence of social factors alongside biological factors on fertility and early pregnancy outcomes could contribute to the development of targeted and effective prevention strategies for couples seeking to conceive."