Noise pollution can harm women’s fertility, study finds
Road traffic noise is associated with a higher risk of an infertility diagnosis among women aged over 35, a new study has revealed.
Infertility is a struggle for many couples across the world. In fact, one in seven UK couples face difficulties when trying to conceive, according to the NHS. There are many reasons that infertility can occur, from health conditions like endometriosis to well known risk factors such as smoking and consuming too much alcohol.
But now, researchers in Denmark have discovered new factors that could pose a further risk. The study, published in BMJ, found that long term exposure to road traffic noise can increase the likelihood of infertility by 14% in women aged 35 and above.
Noise pollution has already been linked to many health conditions, like type 2 diabetes and strokes, the BMJ study acknowledged. And, after this study assessed over 300,000 women to reach their hypothesis, experts can now add infertility to this list too.
Researchers said “only one other study has investigated the effects of noise on fertility.” This focused on a self-reported time to pregnancy, and found that road traffic noise was associated with an increased time to pregnancy. However, for the risk of infertility to occur, the BMJ study says that women over 35 would need to be exposed to road traffic noise that is 10.2 decibels higher than average over a five year period.
Despite this risk, researchers found that noise pollution is not a risk factor for infertility in women aged between 30 and 35.
What about men?
Alongside their investigation into noise pollution, the study also considered the effects that air pollution can have on our ability to conceive. In particular, they focused on a specific form of air pollution called fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
Researchers found that exposure to PM2.5 can increase the risk of infertility in men. They said: “mean exposure to PM2.5 over five years was strongly associated with risk of infertility among men aged 30–45 years.” However, air pollution and PM2.5 exposure does not affect women’s fertility.
This study is a vital step toward helping couples understand why they may be struggling to conceive. The researchers said: “As many western countries are facing declining birth rates and increasing maternal age at the birth of a first child, knowledge on environmental pollutants affecting fertility is crucial.” And, when looking to the future, the study shares hope that “air pollution and noise mitigations may become important tools for improving birth rates in the western world.”
Getting fertility help
According to the NHS:
See your GP. They can check for common causes of fertility issues and suggest treatments. Typically, infertility is only formally diagnosed when a couple have been unable to conceive after a year of trying.
The treatment offered can range from surgical solutions to assisted conception. But it will depend on what's causing the fertility problems and what's available from your local integrated care board.
Private treatment is also available, but it can be expensive and there's no guarantee it will be successful.
More on fertility...
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