Fine particulate matter and its constituent on ovarian reserve: Identifying susceptible windows of exposure

Shuangyan Liu; Jing Zhao; Xin Ye; Mingjian Fu; Kexin Zhang; Han Wang; Yujie Zou; Kuai Yu

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166744

Fine particulate matter and its constituent on ovarian reserve: Identifying susceptible windows of exposure

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Dec 15:904:166744. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166744. Epub 2023 Sep 1.

Authors

Shuangyan Liu¹, Jing Zhao², Xin Ye¹, Mingjian Fu¹, Kexin Zhang¹, Han Wang¹, Yujie Zou³, Kuai Yu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
² Reproductive Medicine Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.
³ Reproductive Medicine Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China. Electronic address: yujie.zou@whu.edu.cn.
⁴ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China. Electronic address: yukuai5200@163.com.

PMID: 37659528
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166744

Abstract

Background: Little is known about the associations of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and its constituents with ovarian reserve, and the potential susceptible window of exposure remains unclear.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 5189 women who attended a fertility center in Hubei, China, during 2019-2022, and estimated concentrations of PM_2.5 and its major constituents during the development of follicles (4th-6th month [W1], 0-4th month [W2], 0-6th month [W3]) and 1-year before measurement (W4) based on Tracking Air Pollution in China database. We used multivariable linear regression and logistic regression models to examine the associations of PM_2.5 and its constituent exposures with anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), the preferred indicator of ovarian reserve.

Results: We observed significantly decreased AMH levels associated with increasing PM_2.5 concentrations, with the percent changes (95 % confidence intervals [CIs]) of 1.99 % (0.24 %-3.71 %) during W1 and 3.99 % (0.74 %-7.15 %) during W4 for per 10 μg/m³ increases in PM_2.5.When PM_2.5 exposure levels were equal to 50th percentile (32.6-42.3 μg/m³) or more, monotonically decreased AMH levels and increased risks of low AMH were seen with increasing PM_2.5 concentrations during W1 and W4 (P < 0.05). Black carbon (BC), ammonium (NH₄⁺), nitrate (NO₃^-), and organic matter (OM) during W1, and NH₄⁺, NO₃^-, as well as sulfate (SO₄^2-) during W4 were significantly associated with decreased AMH. Moreover, PM_2.5 and SO₄^2- exposures during W4 were positively associated with low AMH. Additionally, the associations were stronger among women aged <35 years, lived in urban regions, or measured AMH in cold-season (P for interaction <0.05).

Conclusion: PM_2.5 and specific chemical components (particularly NH₄⁺, NO3^-, and SO4^2-) exposure during the secondary to antral follicle stage and 1-year before measurement were associated with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), indicating the adverse impact of PM_2.5 and its constituent exposures on female reproductive potential.

Keywords: Anti-müllerian hormone; Chemical constituent; Exposure window; Female infertility; Fine particulate matter; Ovarian reserve.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
Anti-Mullerian Hormone
China
Environmental Exposure
Female
Fertility
Humans
Ovarian Reserve*
Particulate Matter / analysis
Retrospective Studies

Substances

Particulate Matter
Anti-Mullerian Hormone
Air Pollutants