Publications by authors named "Maria P Velez"

Study Question: What is the association between infertility with or without fertility treatment and incident onset of systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease (SARD) among women who give birth?

Summary Answer: Women who experienced infertility but did not use fertility treatment had a higher incidence of SARD up to 9 years after delivery than those who did not experience infertility, even after accounting for their higher rates of preeclampsia, spontaneous preterm birth, and stillbirth.

What Is Known Already: Infertility is increasingly common and is an under-appreciated risk marker for chronic diseases in women. Despite several studies documenting abnormal immune activity in women with infertility, little is known about the association between infertility and incidence of autoimmune diseases such as SARD which disproportionately develops in reproductive-aged women.

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Background: Use of a gestational ("surrogate") carrier is increasingly common. Risk for maternal and neonatal adversity is largely unknown in this birthing population.

Objective: To determine the risk for severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and severe neonatal morbidity (SNM) in gestational carriers.

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Context: Robust associations have been identified between fertility during adolescence and the disablement process, including pathologies, impairments, functional limitations and disability. Limited theoretical or empirical research considers how and why such relationships exist generally or with the individual associated components of disablement.

Objective: To consolidate and critically evaluate literature to describe testable, theory-based hypotheses to guide future research on the mechanisms by which fertility during adolescence contributes to disablement.

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Objectives: To evaluate the association between adolescent and young adult (AYA) breast cancer (BC) and the adverse pregnancy outcomes of preterm birth, small for gestational age birth, cesarean delivery, and preeclampsia, and the effect of fertility treatment on this association.

Methods: Population-based cohort study with universal coverage health data for Ontario, Canada. BC was identified from the Ontario Cancer Registry.

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This population-based cohort evaluated the association between endometriosis and severe maternal morbidity (SMM), and the mediating effect of infertility and fertility treatment. Included were all singleton deliveries in Ontario between 2006 and 2014. Modified Poisson regression generated adjusted relative risks.

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Background: Infertility is a marginalized sexual and reproductive health issue in low-resource settings. Globally, millions are affected by infertility, but the lack of a universal definition makes it difficult to estimate the prevalence of infertility at the population level. Estimating the prevalence of infertility may inform targeted and accessible intervention, especially for a resource-limited country like Ethiopia.

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The psychological, social, and financial disabilities caused by infertility are significant for women, particularly those living in low- and middle-income countries such as Ethiopia. Although rehabilitation can be an important form of support for such women, infertility is frequently overlooked as a disability or potential target of rehabilitation interventions. This study aimed to determine what rehabilitation-related services and supports are available for women experiencing infertility in Ethiopia.

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In 2022, approximately one out of six people globally experienced infertility at some point in their life. Environmental chemicals, particularly those with endocrine disrupting activity, may contribute to impaired fecundity and infertility. We review existing prospective cohort studies of environmental chemicals and fecundity, identify methodological challenges and biases, and outline future research priorities.

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Objective: To examine the association between menopause hormone therapy (MHT) and physical performance among women from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study of 12,506 postmenopausal Canadian women.

Main Outcome Measures: Grip strength (kg), gait speed (m/s), timed up and go (s), chair rise (s), and balance (s) were assessed following standard procedures.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to investigate how maternal exposure to heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, manganese, and mercury affects time-to-pregnancy and infertility among pregnant women in Canada.
  • Conducted through hospitals and clinics in ten cities, the research involved 1,784 women, measuring metal concentrations in their blood during the first trimester and analyzing the data using statistical models.
  • Findings revealed that most metals were not linked to time-to-pregnancy or infertility, but higher lead levels were associated with a slightly shorter time-to-pregnancy, indicating a possible need for further research on lead’s impact.
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Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that manifests in early childhood, in which the maternal metabolic syndrome may be a risk factor. The kidney is a barometer of maternal metabolic syndrome duration and severity.

Objective: The main objective of this study is to determine whether periconceptional kidney function is associated with ASD in early childhood.

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Importance: Previous studies on the risk of childhood autism spectrum disorder (ASD) following fertility treatment did not account for the infertility itself or the mediating effect of obstetrical and neonatal factors.

Objective: To assess the association between infertility and its treatments on the risk of ASD and the mediating effect of selected adverse pregnancy outcomes on that association.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada.

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Objective: To evaluate the risk of miscarriage following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, while accounting for the competing risk of induced abortion.

Design: Population-based cohort study.

Setting: Ontario, Canada.

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Background: The pan-Canadian Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) study was established to determine whether maternal environmental chemical exposures were associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in 2001 pregnant women.

Objectives: The MIREC-Child Development (CD PLUS) study followed this cohort with the goal of assessing the potential effects of prenatal exposures on anthropometry and neurodevelopment in early childhood.

Population: MIREC families with children between the ages of 15 months and 5 years who had agreed to be contacted for future research (n = 1459) were invited to participate in MIREC-CD PLUS which combines data collected from an online Maternal Self-Administered Questionnaire with biomonitoring and neurodevelopment data collected from two in-person visits.

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This population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada evaluated the association between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and gestational diabetes mellitus, and the mediating effect of obesity. The study included 1 268 901 pregnancies between 2006 and 2018; 387 748 with maternal PCOS and 881 153 without PCOS. Modified Poisson regression generated relative risks adjusted for maternal covariates.

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Objectives: Adolescent childbirth is associated with older adult adverse health outcomes that negatively affect mobility function, but these associations have not been studied globally in large samples of reproductive-age women. This study examines the association between age at first childbirth and mobility disability in national surveys from low-income and middle-income countries, and hypotheses that adolescent childbirth is associated with mobility disability.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis.

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Purpose: To examine the effects of Hodgkin's lymphoma and its treatment on reproductive health in female adolescent and young adults (AYA).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, population-based, matched-cohort study of female patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosed at 15-39 years of age from 1995 to 2014 in Ontario, Canada. Three female individuals with no history of cancer (unexposed) were matched by birth year and census subdivision to each patient with cancer (exposed).

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This study determined the accuracy of first-trimester serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) for estimating gestational age (GA). We included 273 584 singleton live births that had a first-trimester ultrasound and measured serum hCG at 4-12 weeks gestation in Ontario from 2012 to 2018. We estimated hCG accuracy compared to known GA, within a boundary of ± 1 week.

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Background: Endometriosis, a prevalent condition among females of reproductive age, may be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) through chronic inflammation and early menopause. The objective of this study was to estimate the association between endometriosis and subsequent risk of CVD.

Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study using administrative health data from Ontario residents from 1993 to 2015.

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Objective: To study the association between menopause hormone therapy (MHT) and sarcodynapenia in women from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 10,834 eligible postmenopausal women. The exposure was prior or current use of MHT (never, ever).

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Infertility, irrespective of receipt of fertility treatment, is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including cesarean section (CS) and preterm birth (PTB). These complications are associated with significant physical, mental, emotional, social, and financial costs to individuals, healthcare systems, and society at large. Although multiple pregnancy is one of the most significant contributors to the elevated CS and PTB rates in women receiving fertility treatment, singleton pregnancy is also at an increased risk of these outcomes.

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