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Infertility, pregnancy loss and assisted reproduction in women with asthma : a population-based cohort study

Jöud, Anna LU orcid ; Nilsson-Condori, Emma LU orcid ; Schmidt, Lone ; Ziebe, Søren ; Vassard, Ditte and Mattsson, Kristina LU (2022) In Human Reproduction 37(12). p.2932-2941
Abstract

STUDY QUESTION: Is the chance of childbirth, and risk of infertility, pregnancy loss and need for assisted reproduction different for women with asthma compared to women without asthma?

SUMMARY ANSWER: Women with asthma had comparable chances of giving birth compared to the reference population, however, their risk of both infertility and pregnancy loss, as well their need for medically assisted reproduction, was higher.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Reproductive dysfunction has been reported among women with asthma, including longer time to pregnancy, increased risk of pregnancy loss and a higher need of medically assisted reproduction, but their risk of clinical infertility is unknown.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This... (More)

STUDY QUESTION: Is the chance of childbirth, and risk of infertility, pregnancy loss and need for assisted reproduction different for women with asthma compared to women without asthma?

SUMMARY ANSWER: Women with asthma had comparable chances of giving birth compared to the reference population, however, their risk of both infertility and pregnancy loss, as well their need for medically assisted reproduction, was higher.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Reproductive dysfunction has been reported among women with asthma, including longer time to pregnancy, increased risk of pregnancy loss and a higher need of medically assisted reproduction, but their risk of clinical infertility is unknown.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This longitudinal register-based cohort study included all women with a healthcare visit for delivery, infertility, pregnancy loss or induced abortion in the southernmost county in Sweden, over the last 20 years.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Using the Skåne Healthcare Register, we identified all women aged 15-45 between 1998 and 2019, who received a diagnosis of asthma before their first reproductive outcome (n = 6445). Chance of childbirth and risk of infertility, pregnancy loss and assisted reproduction were compared to a healthcare seeking population of women without any asthma (n = 200 248), using modified Poisson regressions.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: The chance of childbirth was not different between women with asthma versus those without, adjusted risk ratio (aRR) = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.03. The risk of seeking care for infertility was increased, aRR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.21-1.39, and women with asthma more often needed assisted reproduction aRR = 1.34 95% CI: 1.18-1.52. The risk of suffering a pregnancy loss was higher, aRR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.15-1.28, and induced abortions were more common, aRR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.11-1.20, among women with asthma.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The study was an observational study based on healthcare visits and lacked detailed anthropometric data, thus residual confounding cannot be excluded. Only women with a healthcare visit for a reproductive outcome were included, which cannot be translated into pregnancy intention. A misclassification, presumed to be non-differential, may arise from an incorrect or missing diagnosis of asthma or female infertility, biasing the results towards the null.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: This study points towards reproductive dysfunction associated with asthma, specifically in regards to the ability to maintain a pregnancy and the risk of needing medically assisted reproduction following clinical infertility, but reassuringly the chance of subsequently giving birth was not lower for these women.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This article is part of the ReproUnion collaborative study, co-financed by EU Interreg ÖKS, Capital Region of Denmark, Region Skåne and Ferring Pharmaceuticals. The authors have no competing interests to disclose.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Human Reproduction
volume
37
issue
12
pages
2932 - 2941
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85143180749
  • pmid:36215654
ISSN
0268-1161
DOI
10.1093/humrep/deac216
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
id
bc254eac-ffc4-44d5-96e2-e7180cd31d7c
date added to LUP
2022-10-15 22:12:34
date last changed
2024-06-11 23:31:52
@article{bc254eac-ffc4-44d5-96e2-e7180cd31d7c,
  abstract     = {{<p>STUDY QUESTION: Is the chance of childbirth, and risk of infertility, pregnancy loss and need for assisted reproduction different for women with asthma compared to women without asthma?</p><p>SUMMARY ANSWER: Women with asthma had comparable chances of giving birth compared to the reference population, however, their risk of both infertility and pregnancy loss, as well their need for medically assisted reproduction, was higher.</p><p>WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Reproductive dysfunction has been reported among women with asthma, including longer time to pregnancy, increased risk of pregnancy loss and a higher need of medically assisted reproduction, but their risk of clinical infertility is unknown.</p><p>STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This longitudinal register-based cohort study included all women with a healthcare visit for delivery, infertility, pregnancy loss or induced abortion in the southernmost county in Sweden, over the last 20 years.</p><p>PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Using the Skåne Healthcare Register, we identified all women aged 15-45 between 1998 and 2019, who received a diagnosis of asthma before their first reproductive outcome (n = 6445). Chance of childbirth and risk of infertility, pregnancy loss and assisted reproduction were compared to a healthcare seeking population of women without any asthma (n = 200 248), using modified Poisson regressions.</p><p>MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: The chance of childbirth was not different between women with asthma versus those without, adjusted risk ratio (aRR) = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.03. The risk of seeking care for infertility was increased, aRR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.21-1.39, and women with asthma more often needed assisted reproduction aRR = 1.34 95% CI: 1.18-1.52. The risk of suffering a pregnancy loss was higher, aRR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.15-1.28, and induced abortions were more common, aRR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.11-1.20, among women with asthma.</p><p>LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The study was an observational study based on healthcare visits and lacked detailed anthropometric data, thus residual confounding cannot be excluded. Only women with a healthcare visit for a reproductive outcome were included, which cannot be translated into pregnancy intention. A misclassification, presumed to be non-differential, may arise from an incorrect or missing diagnosis of asthma or female infertility, biasing the results towards the null.</p><p>WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: This study points towards reproductive dysfunction associated with asthma, specifically in regards to the ability to maintain a pregnancy and the risk of needing medically assisted reproduction following clinical infertility, but reassuringly the chance of subsequently giving birth was not lower for these women.</p><p>STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This article is part of the ReproUnion collaborative study, co-financed by EU Interreg ÖKS, Capital Region of Denmark, Region Skåne and Ferring Pharmaceuticals. The authors have no competing interests to disclose.</p><p>TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.</p>}},
  author       = {{Jöud, Anna and Nilsson-Condori, Emma and Schmidt, Lone and Ziebe, Søren and Vassard, Ditte and Mattsson, Kristina}},
  issn         = {{0268-1161}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{12}},
  pages        = {{2932--2941}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Human Reproduction}},
  title        = {{Infertility, pregnancy loss and assisted reproduction in women with asthma : a population-based cohort study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deac216}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/humrep/deac216}},
  volume       = {{37}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}