Female dietary antioxidant intake and time to pregnancy among couples treated for unexplained infertility

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Elizabeth H. Ruder, University of Pittsburgh; Terryl Hartman, Emory University; Richard H. Reindollar, Dartmouth College; Marlene B. Goldman, Dartmouth College
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-03-01
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2014 American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Published by Elsevier Inc.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.11.008
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Fertility and Sterility
• ISSN: 0015-0282
• Volume: 101
• Issue: 3
• Start Page: 759
• End Page: 766
• Grant/Funding Information: The work described was supported by Grants R01HD38561 and R01HD049762 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• Keywords: OXIDANT STRESS; BODY-MASS INDEX; OVERWEIGHT; VITAMIN-A; oxidative stress; OXIDATIVE STRESS; Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; SPONTANEOUS-ABORTION; FERTILITY; OBESITY; nutritional epidemiology; unexplained infertility; RISK; Diet; WOMEN; Reproductive Biology; antioxidants; Obstetrics & Gynecology
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Nutrition; Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether increased antioxidant intake in women is associated with shorter time to pregnancy (TTP) among a cohort of couples being treated for unexplained infertility. Design: Secondary data analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Setting Academic medical center associated with a private infertility center. Patients Females with unexplained infertility. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measure(s): The time it took to establish a pregnancy that led to a live birth. Result(s): Mean nutrient intake exceeded the estimated average requirement (EAR) for vitamins C and E. No differences in mean intake of any of the antioxidants were noted between women who delivered a live-born infant during the study period vs. those who did not. In multivariable models, intake of β-carotene from dietary supplements was associated with shorter TTP among women with body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 (hazard ratio [HR] 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.53) and women <35 y (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.01-1.41). Intake of vitamin C from dietary supplements was associated with shorter TTP among women with BMI <25 kg/m2 (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.03-1.15) and women <35 y (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.18). Intake of vitamin E from dietary supplements among women ≥35 y also was associated with shorter TTP (HR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.13). Conclusion(s): Shorter TTP was observed among women with BMI <25 kg/m2 with increasing vitamin C, women with BMI ≥25 kg/m2 with increasing β-carotene, women <35 y with increasing β-carotene and vitamin C, and women ≥35 y with increasing vitamin E.