Exposure to air pollution can significantly reduce the odds of in vitro fertilization (IVF) leading to a live birth, a new study says.
The odds of a live birth are nearly 40% lower in women heavily exposed to particle pollution in the two weeks before her eggs were collected for IVF, compared to those with the least exposure, researchers found.
"These findings suggest that pollution negatively affects the quality of the eggs, not just the early stages of pregnancy, which is a distinction that has not been previously reported," lead researcher Dr. Sebastian Leathersich, a gynecologist with King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women in Subiaco, Australia, said in a news release.
In IVF, a woman's eggs are fertilized with a man's sperm in a laboratory. The resulting embryo is then transferred back into a woman to develop.
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