Air pollution decreases a woman’s ovarian reserve
The term ovarian reserve indicates the state of fertility of the woman. To determine it, some hormonal markers (AMH and FSH) and the number of antral follicles are evaluated.
An all-Italian study presented in June 2019 to ESHRE (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology) showed that a woman’s ovarian reserve is (negatively) influenced by air pollution.
The ORExPo study (from Ovarian Reserve and Exposure to Environmental Pollutants) was directed by Antonio La Marca, Associate Professor at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and Physician specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics.
The research took into consideration the hormonal measurements obtained from more than 1300 Italian women, highlighting that many environmental chemicals, as well as some natural and artificial components present in the daily diet, act as endocrine disruptors. This means that these substances have the potential to disturb the physiological role of hormones by interfering with their biosynthesis, functioning mechanism or metabolism.
The hormone evaluated in the study, anti-Müllerian hormone or AMH , is secreted by ovarian cells and is considered by specialists to be a reliable marker of a woman’s ovarian reserve.
It was known that the AMH value is negatively influenced by the woman’s age and by cigarette smoke, but the role of environmental pollution on the decrease in the blood values of this hormone had not yet been demonstrated.
To reach this conclusion, blood samples were taken from women residing in the Modena area between 2000 and 2017.
All measurements were related to the woman’s age and their area of residence. The analysis was completed by entering environmental data based on the residence of each patient.
The assessment of environmental pollution took into consideration the particulate matter (PM) and the values of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) which derives from vehicle exhaust gases.
The results of the study
A total of 1,463 AMH measurements were collected from the 1,318 female participants.
It has been seen that under the age of 25 AMH values are not related to age. For women over the age of 25, however, AMH values are inversely related to the woman’s age . In practice, after the age of 25, the AMH values decrease as the woman ages.
It has also been seen that AMH values are inversely related to environmental pollutants, such as PM10, PM2.5 and NO2. The more these values in the air increase, the more the value of the AMH hormone decreases. This association is independent of age.
No correlations were found between AMH and ambient temperatures.
Regardless of age, the higher the particulate matter and NO2 level, the lower the serum AMH concentration . The lowest concentration of AMH, reflecting a marked reduction in ovarian reserve, was found in women who were exposed to PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 levels above 29.5, 22 and 26 mcg/m3 respectively .
I would like to point out that these are values well below the maximum limits recommended by the EU and local authorities (40, 25 and 40 mcg / m3 respectively).
According to prof. The brand “exposure to high levels of PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 increases the risk of having a severely reduced ovarian reserve by a factor of between 2 and 3”.
Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.
Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.