Analysis of Reprotoxic Environmental Exposures in Infertile Patients

The environmental exposures of couples wishing to procreate may impact their chances of pregnancy, the development of their child, and its future health. In order to identify the behavioural, domestic, environmental and occupational reprotoxic exposures (RE) of infertile couples, we conducted a prospective monocentric study of 1090 women (W) and men (M) consulting the assisted reproductive technique (ART) clinic at the University Hospitals in Marseille. They answered a questionnaire to collect their different types of RE and the frequency and intensity of exposure. Of the 810 infertile patients included, 96 % of the W and 97 % of the M had at least one "recognized" or "suspected" RE factor: 65% had between one and three, of which the most represented categories were dietary exposures (86 % of W and M), male occupational exposures (63 % of M: solvents, heat), a body mass index (BMI) > 25 (52% of M and 40 % of W) and psychoactive substances (38 % of W and M). Our results suggest that if the individual search for RE factors were performed in all infertile patients, most of them could act on a limited number of modifiable risk factors, and thus improve their chances of spontaneous pregnancy and success in ART.