A groundbreaking study presented recently at the ESHRE 40th Annual Meeting in Amsterdam found that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) prior to egg extraction during In vitro fertilisation (IVF) reduces the likelihood of a live birth by about 40%.

Over an eight-year period, researchers conducted the study in Perth, Australia. and presented their findings at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).

Dr. Sebastian Leathersich and his colleagues conducted the study, analysing data from 1,836 patients and 3,659 frozen embryo transfers.

When the researchers compared the highest and lowest exposure quartiles, they discovered that exposure to PM10 during the two weeks before oocyte (egg) collection lowered the likelihood of a live birth by 38%. Furthermore, they identified a link between lower live birth rates and increased PM2.5 exposure in the three months preceding egg retrieval.

Despite Perth's generally excellent air quality, the negative impacts of air pollution on the success of in vitro fertilisation were evident over the study period. This indicates how even modest levels of pollution can impact reproductive results.

The age of the woman undergoing treatment is one of the factors influencing the success rate of in vitro fertilisation, or IVF. For women under 35, the average global success rate for IVF is around 40% every cycle. The success rate decreases with age, peaking at around 11% for women in the 41–42 age range and declining to around 31% for women in the 35–37 age range.

Each year, between half a million and one million infants are born with IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies (ART) around the world. India performs an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 IVF rounds annually, resulting in an average of 20,000–30,000 assisted birth.

As more people have access to these procedures, technologies and methods, evolve, IVF success rates and birth numbers may fluctuate.

"This is the first study to separately analyse the effects of pollutant exposure on egg development and early pregnancy stages using frozen embryo transfer cycles," said researcher Leathersich. We discovered that pollution has a negative impact on egg quality at every stage of pregnancy.

Before oocyte retrieval, the study examined air pollutant concentrations throughout four time periods: 24 hours, two weeks, four weeks, and three months. Scientists investigated the impact of pollution on live birth rates and created models that took co-exposures into account.

Every year, air pollution causes over 4 million premature deaths, making it a severe environmental health hazard. "The biggest threats to human health are pollution and climate change, and human reproduction is not immune." Dr. Leathersich said. One of the primary concerns for public health must be reducing pollution exposure.

Professor Dr. Anis Feki, the ESHRE Chair-elect, commented, "This important study highlights a significant link between air pollution and lower IVF success rates, stressing the need to consider environmental factors in reproductive health."

Human Reproduction, a reputable journal in reproductive medicine, will publish the study abstract, which highlights the significance of environmental health for successful IVF, furthering our understanding of how air pollution influences reproductive outcomes.