Infant sex at birth and long-term maternal mortality.

Background: Maternal adaptations may vary by foetal sex. Whether male infants influence long-term mortality in mothers remains uncertain.

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine whether male infants increase the risk of maternal mortality.

The Role of Maternal Preconception Adiposity in Human Offspring Sex and Sex Ratio.

We evaluated relationships between preconception adiposity and human offspring sex and sex ratio. Using data from a prospective preconception cohort nested within a randomized controlled trial based at 4 US clinical sites (2006-2012), we used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for male:female sex ratio, and log-identity regression to estimate risk differences (RDs) and 95% CIs for male and female livebirth according to preconception adiposity measures. Inverse-probability weights accounted for potential selection bias.

Longitudinal semen parameter assessments and live birth: variability and implications for treatment strategies.

Objective: To examine whether semen parameters are associated with live birth among couples seeking infertility treatment after accounting for semen parameter variability.

Design: Folic Acid and Zinc Supplementation Trial (FAZST) prospective cohort.

Setting: Four US reproductive endocrinology and infertility care study centers, 2013-2017.

Prospectively assessed perceived stress associated with early pregnancy losses among women with history of pregnancy loss.

Study Question: What is the association between perceived stress during peri-conception and early pregnancy and pregnancy loss among women who have experienced a prior pregnancy loss?

Summary Answer: Daily perceived stress above the median is associated with over a 2-fold risk of early pregnancy loss among women who have experienced a prior loss.

What Is Known Already?: Women who have experienced a pregnancy loss may be more vulnerable to stress while trying to become pregnant again. While prior research has indicated a link between psychological stress and clinically confirmed miscarriages, research is lacking among a pre-conceptional cohort followed prospectively for the effects of perceived stress during early critical windows of pregnancy establishment on risk of both hCG-detected pregnancy losses and confirmed losses, while considering important time-varying confounders.

Preconception hemoglobin A1c concentration in healthy women is not associated with fecundability or pregnancy loss.

Objective: To examine the relationship of preconception hemoglobin A1c, a marker of cumulative exposure to glucose over the preceding 2-3 months, with time to pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and live birth among fecund women without diagnosed diabetes or other medical diseases.

Design: A secondary analysis of a prospective cohort of women participating in the Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction (EAGeR) trial.

Setting: Four US academic medical centers.

Long-Term Mortality in Women With Pregnancy Loss and Modification by Race/Ethnicity.

Pregnancy loss is a common reproductive complication, but its association with long-term mortality and whether this varies by maternal race/ethnicity is not well understood. Data from a racially diverse cohort of pregnant women enrolled in the Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP) from 1959 to 1966 were used for this study. CPP records were linked to the National Death Index and the Social Security Death Master File to identify deaths and underlying cause (until 2016).

The impact of zinc and folic acid supplementation on sperm DNA methylation: results from the folic acid and zinc supplementation randomized clinical trial (FAZST).

Objective: To determine if 6-month folic acid (5 mg) and zinc (30 mg) supplementation impacts sperm DNA methylation patterns.

Design: A multicenter, double-blind, block randomized, placebo-controlled trial titled "The Folic Acid and Zinc Supplementation Trial (FAZST)."

Setting: Infertility care centers.

Preconception leukocyte telomere length and pregnancy outcomes among women with demonstrated fecundity.

Study Question: Is preconception leukocyte telomere length associated with fecundability, pregnancy loss and live birth among women attempting natural conception with a history of 1-2 prior pregnancy losses?

Summary Answer: Preconception leukocyte telomere length is not associated with fecundability, pregnancy loss or live birth.

What Is Known Already: As women increasingly delay childbearing, accessible preconception biomarkers to predict pregnancy outcomes among women seeking natural conception could improve preconception counseling. Findings of small case-control or cross-sectional studies suggest that telomere attrition is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes among women undergoing fertility treatment, but prospective studies in non-clinical populations are lacking.

Associations between blood cadmium and endocrine features related to PCOS-phenotypes in healthy women of reproductive age: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Cadmium is an endocrine disrupting chemical that affects the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Though evidence suggests its potential role in altering androgen synthesis and metabolic pathways that are characteristic of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), its relation in healthy women of reproductive age is largely unknown. As women with mild sub-clinical features of PCOS who do not meet the diagnostic criteria of PCOS may still experience reduced fecundability, investigating associations between cadmium and PCOS-phenotypes among healthy women may provide unique insight into the reproductive implications for many on the PCOS spectrum.

Low Intake of Vegetable Protein is Associated With Altered Ovulatory Function Among Healthy Women of Reproductive Age.

Context: Diets high in plant-based protein have gained popularity due to increasing health concerns regarding consumption of animal products. Though links between intakes of certain protein-rich foods and reproductive disorders have been suggested, the relationship of overall animal and vegetable proteins with reproductive hormones among reproductive-aged women is unknown.

Objective: To evaluate the associations between the intake of dietary protein with reproductive hormones and sporadic anovulation among reproductive-aged women.

The Effect of Preconception-Initiated Low-Dose Aspirin on Human Chorionic Gonadotropin-Detected Pregnancy, Pregnancy Loss, and Live Birth : Per Protocol Analysis of a Randomized Trial.

Background: A previous large randomized trial indicated that preconception-initiated low-dose aspirin (LDA) therapy did not have a positive effect on pregnancy outcomes. However, this trial was subject to nonadherence, which was not taken into account by the intention-to-treat approach.

Objective: To estimate per protocol effects of preconception-initiated LDA on pregnancy loss and live birth.

Is opioid use safe in women trying to conceive?

Background: Opioids are commonly prescribed to women of reproductive age, including after delivery and miscarriage. However, to our knowledge, opioid use has not been frequently studied in relation to the common reproductive complications of impaired fecundability and pregnancy. We examined the association of opioid use during the critical window of pregnancy establishment with fecundability and pregnancy loss.

Circulating Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Soluble fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase-1 as Biomarkers for Endometrial Remodeling Across the Menstrual Cycle.

Objective: To characterize variation in circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT-1), across the menstrual cycle in normal ovulating women in relation to reproductive hormones to identify the utility of VEGF and sFLT-1 as peripheral biomarkers of endometrial remodeling.

Methods: Ninety-six healthy, regularly menstruating ovulatory women, aged 18-44 years, enrolled in the BioCycle Study, a prospective cohort study at a U.S.

Adiposity is associated with anovulation independent of serum free testosterone: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Obesity, a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m , is linked to infertility, potentially through a greater risk of anovulation due to elevated androgens. Yet, previous studies have not directly assessed the impact of adiposity, or body fat, on anovulation in the absence of clinical infertility.

Objective: To characterise the associations between adiposity and anovulation among women menstruating on a regular basis.

The Safety of Low-Dose Aspirin on the Mode of Delivery: Secondary Analysis of the Effect of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: This study aimed to examine whether prenatal low-dose aspirin (LDA) therapy affects risk of cesarean versus vaginal delivery.

Study Design: This study is a secondary analysis of the randomized clinical effects of aspirin in gestation and reproduction (EAGeR) trial. Women received 81-mg daily aspirin or placebo from preconception to 36 weeks of gestation.

Urinary selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors across critical windows of pregnancy establishment: a prospective cohort study of fecundability and pregnancy loss.

Objective: To prospectively investigate the association of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) exposure through critical windows of pregnancy establishment with fecundability and pregnancy loss.

Design: Prospective cohort study using longitudinal urine measurements of common SSRIs while women are actively trying to conceive.

Setting: Four clinical sites.

Prescription Opioid Use Among Populations of Reproductive Age: Effects on Fertility, Pregnancy Loss, and Pregnancy Complications.

Prescription opioid use is common among men and women of reproductive age, including during assisted-reproduction procedures. Opioid use disorder and chronic use are associated with harms to fertility and pregnancy outcomes, but it is unclear whether these associations extend to common short-term patterns of prescription opioid use. We conducted a literature review using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus to identify studies of nonchronic, nondependent opioid use and reproductive endpoints including fertility, pregnancy loss, and pregnancy complications (i.

Sporadic anovulation is not an important determinant of becoming pregnant and time to pregnancy among eumenorrheic women: A simulation study.

Background: Attaining pregnancy is conditional upon a series of complex processes, including adequately timed intercourse, ovulation, fertilisation, and implantation. Anovulation is a first-line treatment target for couples with difficulty conceiving and is frequently examined in studies of fecundability.

Objectives: To identify whether sporadic anovulation is an important determinant of cumulative pregnancy rates and time to pregnancy among fertile women with regular menstrual cycles.

Recalled maternal lifestyle behaviors associated with anti-müllerian hormone of adult female offspring.

Anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) is an established marker of ovarian reserve that decreases with age. Though the pool of ovarian follicles is established during fetal development, impacts of in utero exposures on AMH are uncertain. Thus, we sought to evaluate associations of in utero exposures with AMH of adult daughters with a prospective cohort study of adult daughters at university medical centers.

Low-dose aspirin in reproductive health: effects on menstrual cycle characteristics.

Objective: To estimate the effect of daily 81 mg low-dose aspirin (LDA) on menstrual cycle length and hormone profiles.

Design: Secondary analysis of a trial evaluating the effect of daily LDA or placebo on live birth among women with one or two previous pregnancy losses.

Setting: University medical centers.

Preconception Blood Pressure and Its Change Into Early Pregnancy: Early Risk Factors for Preeclampsia and Gestational Hypertension.

Preeclampsia and gestational hypertension are common complications of pregnancy associated with significant maternal and infant morbidity. Despite extensive research evaluating risk factors during pregnancy, most women who develop a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy are not considered high-risk and strategies for prevention remain elusive. We evaluated preconception blood pressure and its change into early pregnancy as novel risk markers for development of a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy.

Family history of autoimmune disease in relation to time-to-pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and live birth rate.

Several autoimmune conditions have adverse effects on reproductive outcomes, but the relationship between family history of autoimmune disease in women without these conditions and pregnancy is uncertain. The objective of this study was to determine if there is an association between a family history of an autoimmune condition and time-to-pregnancy (TTP), pregnancy loss, and live birth. This was a prospective cohort study from a RCT of 1228 adult women ages 18-40, who were healthy, had no history of infertility, were actively attempting to conceive, and had one or two prior pregnancy losses.