Search resultsAlcohol use as predictor for infertility in a representative population of Danish women
Title
Alcohol use as predictor for infertility in a representative population of Danish women
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2003
Authors
Journal
Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica
Volume
82
Issue
8
Pagination
744 - 749
Date published
2003
ISBN
00016349 (ISSN)
Keywords
Adult, age distribution, alcohol, alcohol consumption, Alcohol Drinking, article, cohort analysis, Cohort Studies, Denmark, drinking behavior, Female, female infertility, follow up, Follow-Up Studies, hazard assessment, human, Humans, incidence, infertility, Infertility, Female, major clinical study, marriage, maternal age, Multivariate Analysis, nullipara, population research, Population Surveillance, Population-based prospective study, Predictive Value of Tests, priority journal, Proportional Hazards Models, Prospective Studies, prospective study, risk factor, Risk Factors, smoking, Socioeconomic Factors
Abstract
Background. Our aim was to examine the association between use of alcohol and subsequent incidence of primary infertility. Methods. The study subjects were chosen from a population-based cohort of Danish women aged 20-29 years. Eligible women were nulliparous and not pregnant (n = 7760). Information on alcohol intake and potential confounders (age, education, marital status, diseases in the reproductive organs, and cigarette smoking) was assessed at enrollment. The incidence of fertility problems during follow-up was obtained by record linkage with the Danish Hospital Discharge Register and the Danish Infertility Cohort Register. Main outcome measures were hazard ratios of infertility according to alcohol intake at baseline estimated in a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. Results. During a mean follow-up of 4.9 years, 368 women had experienced infertility. Alcohol intake at baseline was unassociated with infertility among younger women, but was a significant predictor for infertility among women above age 30. In this age group, the adjusted hazard ratio for consuming seven or more drinks per week was 2.26 (95% confidence interval: 1.19-4.32) compared with women consuming less than one drink per week. Conclusions. These findings suggest that alcohol intake is a predictor for infertility problems among women in the later reproductive age group.