Obstet Gynecol Sci.  2020 Jan;63(1):72-79. 10.5468/ogs.2020.63.1.72.

Association between in vitro fertilization success rate and ambient air pollution: a possible explanation of within-year variation of in vitro fertilization success rate

• Kang J
• Lee JY
• Song H
• Shin SJ
• Kim J

• KMID: 2467934
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5468/ogs.2020.63.1.72

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate patterns in air pollution concentrations and in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rates using data from a large, long-term clinical database.
METHODS
We conducted a retrospective cohort study investigating South Korean women who pursued IVF and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) between 2011 and 2017. Hourly concentrations of air pollutants measured at 318 air quality monitoring sites in South Korea between 2011 and 2017 were obtained from the National Institute of Environmental Research. Monthly trends in pregnancy rates and concentrations of air pollutants were assessed.
RESULTS
A total of 34,427 IVF-ET cycles in 18,478 patients were analyzed. The mean age of women at the time of IVF-ET was 36.6 years. The clinical pregnancy rate in the IVF-ET cycle was 30%. Analysis of pregnancy failure rates by month showed that IVF-ET failure rates tended to be higher in March and April and lower in July and August. Concentrations of air pollutants including particulate matter (PM) less than 10 μm in diameter, PM less than 2.5 μm in diameter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide were highest in March and April and lowest between July and September.
CONCLUSION
Within-year variations were similar between IVF-ET failure rates and air pollution concentrations based on analysis of a large, long-term database. Specifically, IVF-ET success rates were highest when PM concentrations were lowest. Further studies are warranted to examine the mechanisms accounting for the association between IVF success and air pollutant exposure.

Keyword

Air pollution; In vitro fertilization; Pregnancy rate; Particulate matter

MeSH Terms

Air Pollutants
Air Pollution*
Carbon Monoxide
Cohort Studies
Embryo Transfer
Female
Fertilization in Vitro*
Humans
In Vitro Techniques*
Korea
Nitrogen Dioxide
Particulate Matter
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Rate
Retrospective Studies
Sulfur Dioxide
Air Pollutants
Carbon Monoxide
Nitrogen Dioxide
Particulate Matter
Sulfur Dioxide

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Within-year variations in air pollutant concentrations (A) and in vitro fertilization treatment failure rates (B) throughout the study period (January 2011–December 2017).PM10, particulate matter less than 10 μm in diameter; PM2.5, particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter; SO2, sulfur dioxide; CO, carbon monoxide; NO2, nitrogen dioxide.

• 

  Fig. 2 Comparisons of within-year variations in total in vitro fertilization failure rates and air pollutant concentrations.

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