Risk Factors for Infertility in Korean Women
- Author:
Juyeon LEE
1
;
Chang-Woo CHOO
;
Kyoung Yong MOON
;
Sang Woo LYU
;
Hoon KIM
;
Joong Yeup LEE
;
Jung Ryeol LEE
;
Byung Chul JEE
;
Kyungjoo HWANG
;
Seok Hyun KIM
;
Sue K. PARK
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science 2024;39(10):e85-
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:EN
-
Abstract:
Background:Female infertility is a crucial problem with significant implications for individuals and society. In this study, we explore risk factors for infertility in Korean women.
Methods:A total of 986 female patients who visited six major infertility clinics in Korea were recruited from April to December 2014. Fertile age-matched controls were selected from two nationwide survey study participants. Conditional logistic regression after age-matching was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of each risk factor for infertility.
Results:Women with a body mass index (BMI) < 18.5 kg/m2 had 1.35 times higher odds of infertility (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.03–1.77), while those with a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2 had even higher odds (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.61–2.64) compared to women with a normal BMI (18.5 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 25 kg/m 2 ). Ever-smokers exhibited 4.94 times higher odds of infertility compared to never-smokers (95% CI, 3.45–8.85). Concerning alcohol consumption, women who consumed ≥ 7 glasses at a time showed 3.13 times significantly higher odds of infertility than those who consumed ≤ 4 glasses at a time (95% CI, 1.79–5.48). Lastly, women with thyroid disease demonstrated 1.44 times higher odds of infertility compared to women without thyroid disease (95% CI, 1.00–2.08).
Conclusion:Female infertility in Korea was associated with underweight, obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and thyroid disease.
