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According to a recent study, noise pollution could have a significant impact on the fertility of men and women. Results that are likely to make some noise!
Did you know? Noise pollution is associated with a higher risk of infertility in women. At least that’s the conclusion of Danish researchers, whose work was published in the journal BMJ.
Noise pollution ruins fertility of women over 35
For the study, 526,056 men and 377,850 women aged 30 to 45, with fewer than two children, living together or married, and residing in Denmark between 2000 and 2017, were recruited. The researchers then analyzed whether exposure to two types of pollution – air pollution and noise pollution – could in the long term affect the fertility of men and women.
They were particularly interested in road traffic noise and fine particles, these micro pieces of organic matter, with a diameter of less than 2.5 µm, which penetrate deep into the respiratory tract.
Result ?
- During the test period (seventeen years), 16,172 men and 22,672 women were diagnosed with infertility. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables (such as income, education level and occupation), the scientists also noted that exposure to levels of fine particles was associated with an increased risk of infertility (24%) in men aged 30 to 40. For women, exposure to fine particles was not associated with any form of infertility.
- In contrast, it was exposure to road traffic noise that proved particularly harmful, leading to a 14% increased risk of infertility among those aged 35 to 45, when they were exposed to noise levels 10.2 decibels higher than the average over a five-year period. Conversely, women aged 30 to 35 seemed to be spared from these noises and their effects.
“Noise was not associated with infertility in younger women (30 to 34.9 years)“, confirms the study.
- The same observation was made for men: road traffic noise was associated with a higher risk of infertility in the 37-45 age group, but not in those aged 30-37.
Age would therefore seem to be a determining factor in noise pollution.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Fighting pollution to boost fertility
With infertility a major global health problem, affecting one in seven couples trying to conceive, researchers stress the need to “go further”.
“In a context where many Western countries are facing a decline in the birth rate and an increase in maternal age at the birth of the first child, it is crucial to know the environmental pollutants that affect fertility.“, they specify, before adding: “If our results are confirmed by future studies, this suggests that the political implementation of measures to reduce air pollution and noise could be an important tool for improving birth rates in the Western world.“.
Will the fight against pollution be included in the vast plan to combat infertility wanted by President Emmanuel Macron?
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