Association Between the Frequency of Eating Non-home-prepared Meals and Women Infertility in the United States
- Author:
Sohyae LEE
1
;
Jin-young MIN
;
Hye-Jin KIM
;
Kyoung-bok MIN
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- From:Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health 2020;53(2):73-81
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether eating non-home-prepared meals (NHPM), including fast food, ready-to-eat foods, and frozen foods, was associated with self-reported infertility in the United States women. Methods: Data on diet and infertility from women aged 20-49 years who participated in the 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were analyzed (n=2143). Dietary information, including the number and types of NHPM consumed, was obtained from a self-reported questionnaire, and infertility status was analyzed using the following question, “Have you ever attempted to become pregnant over a period of at least a year without becoming pregnant?” Results: The frequency of NHPM consumption was positively associated with self-reported infertility after adjusting for confounding effects (odds ratio [OR], 2.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48 to 5.38 of >1 vs. 0 NHPM/d). The odds of infertility were 2-3 times higher in women who consumed fast food than in those who did not consume fast food (OR, 2.73; 95% CI, 1.15 to 6.48 of >1 vs. 0 times/d). Conclusions: The frequency and types of NHPM may be a factor contributing to infertility. Although our findings require confirmation, they suggest that eating out may be deleterious to women fecundity.
