Do Air Pollutants Have a Short-Term Influence on Couples' Fecundity? An Analysis Relying on Two Novel Study Designs in Parallel

Background: A small number of studies have suggested a possible short-term impact of atmospheric pollutants on male fecundity parameters and on fecundity, a couple’s ability to conceive. Objectives: Our aim was to characterize the short-term influence of atmospheric pollutants on the fecundity of couples from the general population using two novel study designs. Methods: We recruited a random sample of couples not using any contraceptive method. Couples were asked about the time elapsed since the start of the Period of Unprotected Intercourse (PUI), which was used as the outcome of the current duration (CD) analysis. Couples were followed up during two years to constitute a prevalent cohort (PC), from which time to pregnancy was estimated. The background air quality monitoring station closest to the home allowed estimating the level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and of particulate matter with diameter below 10μm (PM10), during the 70 days before the start of the PUI (CD analysis) and before the inclusion (PC ...