Seafood Intake, Sexual Activity, and Time to Pregnancy
Context - Marine long-chain omega-3 fatty acids have been positively related to markers of fecundity in both men and women. However, seafood, their primary food source, can also be a source of toxicants, which may counteract the reproductive benefits.
Objective - To examine the relationship of male and female seafood intake with time to pregnancy (TTP).
Design - Our prospective cohort study included 501 couples planning pregnancy who participated in the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment Study (2005-2009) and were followed for up to1 year or until pregnancy was detected. Seafood intake was collected daily during follow-up in journals.
Setting - Couples residing in Michigan and Texas were recruited using population-based sampling frameworks.
Main Outcome Measures - The primary outcome was time to pregnancy as determined by an in-home pregnancy test. A secondary outcome was sexual intercourse frequency (SIF) as recorded in daily journals.
Results - Couples where the male and female partners consumed ≥8 seafood servings/cycle had 47% (95% CI 7, 103%) and 60% (95% CI 15, 122%) higher fecundity (shorter TTP) compared to couples with male and female partners who consumed ≤1 seafood serving/cycle, respectively.
Couples in which both partners consumed ≥8 seafood servings/cycle had 61% (95% CI 17, 122%) higher fecundity compared to couples consuming less. Male and female partners with the highest seafood intake (≥8 servings/cycle) also had 22% higher SIF.
Conclusions - Higher male and female seafood intake was associated with higher frequency of sexual intercourse and fecundity among a large prospective cohort of couples attempting pregnancy.
Gaskins AJ, Sundaram R, Buck Louis GM, Chavarro JE. Seafood Intake, Sexual Activity, and Time to Pregnancy. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/jc.2018-00385
Context - Marine long-chain omega-3 fatty acids have been positively related to markers of fecundity in both men and women. However, seafood, their primary food source, can also be a source of toxicants, which may counteract the reproductive benefits.
Objective - To examine the relationship of male and female seafood intake with time to pregnancy (TTP).
Design - Our prospective cohort study included 501 couples planning pregnancy who participated in the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment Study (2005-2009) and were followed for up to1 year or until pregnancy was detected. Seafood intake was collected daily during follow-up in journals.
Setting - Couples residing in Michigan and Texas were recruited using population-based sampling frameworks.
Main Outcome Measures - The primary outcome was time to pregnancy as determined by an in-home pregnancy test. A secondary outcome was sexual intercourse frequency (SIF) as recorded in daily journals.
Results - Couples where the male and female partners consumed ≥8 seafood servings/cycle had 47% (95% CI 7, 103%) and 60% (95% CI 15, 122%) higher fecundity (shorter TTP) compared to couples with male and female partners who consumed ≤1 seafood serving/cycle, respectively.
Couples in which both partners consumed ≥8 seafood servings/cycle had 61% (95% CI 17, 122%) higher fecundity compared to couples consuming less. Male and female partners with the highest seafood intake (≥8 servings/cycle) also had 22% higher SIF.
Conclusions - Higher male and female seafood intake was associated with higher frequency of sexual intercourse and fecundity among a large prospective cohort of couples attempting pregnancy.
Gaskins AJ, Sundaram R, Buck Louis GM, Chavarro JE. Seafood Intake, Sexual Activity, and Time to Pregnancy. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/jc.2018-00385
