Search

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are found widespread in the environment and humans. The relation of PFASs to fertility has now been examined in a relatively large number of epidemiologic studies and a synthesis is in order. The aim of this study was to assess the current human epidemiologic evidence on the association between exposure to PFASs and measures of human fertility, with particular emphasis on perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA). Systematic literature searches were initially conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE and subsequently in references and citations of included papers. Studies were included if they assessed exposure to PFASs in biological samples in relation to reproductive hormones, semen characteristics, or time to pregnancy (TTP). Study characteristics and results were abstracted to predefined forms, and the studies were assessed for the risk of bias and confounding. Sixteen studies investigated the association between PFAS exposure in men and semen parameters, reproductive hormone levels, or TTP. There was a lack of consistent results among the numerous investigated exposure-outcome combinations. However, subtle associations between higher PFOS and lower testosterone or abnormal semen morphology cannot be excluded. Eleven studies assessed the association between PFAS exposure in women and TTP or reproductive hormones levels. Four of eight studies found prolonged TTP with higher PFOS or PFOA, but only one study found an association when restricting to nulliparous women. In men, there is little evidence of an association between PFAS exposure and semen quality or levels of reproductive hormones. For PFOS and PFOA, the literature indicates an association with female fecundability in parous women, which is most likely not causal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper studies the impact of culture on the fertility behavior of teenage women in the US. To identify this effect, it took an epidemiological approach, exploiting the variations in teenage women's fertility rates by ancestral home country. Using three different databases (the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, and the 2000 US Census), the results show that culture has quantitatively important effects on the fertility behavior of teenage women. This finding is robust to alternative specifications, to the introduction of a range of home country variables to proxy culture, and to the measurement of individual characteristics present when teenage women continue with a pregnancy to have a child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper studies the influence of biological and behavioural determinants on the reproductive period and fertility of older, rural Portuguese women (Municipality of Oleiros) and their mothers and describes the secular trends 1880--1940. Method: The reproductive histories of 337 women who were 44 years and older were obtained through personal interviews. Participants were also asked about the reproductive events of their mothers. Results: The women's mean values of reproductive variables were: marriage age, 22.80  ±±  3.89 years, age at first birth, 24.46  ±±  4.11 years, age at last birth, 32.26  ±±  6.56 years, childbearing periods, 7.76  ±±  6.20 years, and effective number of children, 3.25  ±±  2.06 children. The childbearing periods of participants' mothers were 8.59  ±±  6.98 years, with an age at first birth of 25.11  ±±  4.31 years, age at last birth of 35.33  ±±  6.14 years and effective number of children of 4.45  ±±  2.19 children. The women's age at marriage and the age at last birth were related to childbearing period and effective number of children. Participants were younger at first birth and at last birth and had a lower effective number of children compared to their mothers. Conclusions: Over time mean values of the reproductive events and the effective number of children decreased slowly and were likely influenced through cultural, behavioural and healthcare changes occurring in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few decades the number of women becoming pregnant later on in life has markedly increased. Medical experts have raised concerns about the increase in the number of women having babies later, owing to evidence that suggests that advancing maternal age is associated with both a decline in fertility and an increase in health risks to both mother and baby. In recognition of these risks, experts have warned that women should aim to have their children between the ages of twenty and thirty-five. As a consequence, women giving birth past the age of thirty-five have typically been positioned as “older mothers.” In this paper we used a social constructionist thematic analysis in order to analyse how “older mothers” are represented in newspaper articles in the British press. We examined how the topics of “choice” and “risk” are handled in discussions of delayed motherhood, and found that the media position women as wholly responsible for choosing the timing of pregnancy and, as a consequence, as accountable for the associated risks. Moreover, we noted that newspapers also constructed a “right” time for women to become pregnant. As such, we discuss the implications for the ability of women to make real choices surrounding the timing of pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantum, tempo, and characteristics of population fertility can change rapidly between birth cohorts. Understanding secular trends in fertility behavior can help inform research concerned with family and health policy. The current investigation is novel in that it uses 'intersectional markers of social stratification' with a large sample of women to examine if the average age at last live birth shifted between two birth cohorts. The analysis uses 41,884 observations from the 1990 Decennial 1% Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file to capture the fertility behavior of lucky few (LF) women (born 1936-1945) and 72,489 observations from the 2010 American Community Survey PUMS file to capture the fertility behavior of late-baby boom (LBB) women (born 1956-1965). The investigation provides empirical evidence that the average age at last live birth decreased in LBB women compared to LF women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced maternal fertility is the consequence of depletion of follicles with maternal aging. In a 35-year-old woman, approximately 9.1% of the residual follicle pool disappears annually without entering into the growing stage, whereas, in a 45-year-old woman, this number triples. After the age of 35 years, the frequency of aneuploidies in oocytes increases sharply. Roughly 50–70% of mature oocytes from a 40-year-old woman have chromosomal abnormalities. The clinical pregnancy and implantation rates are lower in midlife women. Various controlled ovarian stimulation interventions have been suggested for the management of women in advanced age, most of whom are likely to be poor-responder patients. Currently, systematic reviews and meta-analyses suggest that there is insufficient evidence to recommend most of the treatments proposed to improve pregnancy rates in these poor responders. Minimal stimulation or natural cyclein vitrofertilization may be offered, without compromising the already existing pregnancy results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This is a prospective non-randomised study to determine the fertility performance and pregnancy outcome in pregnant females who had caesarean myomectomy at last delivery. A total of 29 females were studied and they had a mean age of 37.3 years. Of these, 22 (75.9%) of the females were para 1 and 25 (86.2%) had had one previous caesarean section. Only six (20.7%) of them had fertility treatment before the attainment of the index pregnancy. The common antenatal complications recorded were abnormal lie/malpresentation (10.3%), placenta praevia (10.3%) and threatened abortion (10.3%); 17 patients were eligible for trial of scar; 13 (44.8%) had successful vaginal birth after caesarean myomectomy, while 16 (55.2%) had repeat caesarean section including a caesarean hysterectomy. Postoperative morbidity was recorded in four (25%) of the 16 patients that had abdominal delivery. There was no maternal or perinatal mortality recorded. The future fertility and or subsequent pregnancy outcome in patients is unaffected by caesarean myomectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]