A new study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility reported the impact of unhealthy air quality on patients preparing to conceive via IVF. Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University (OSHU) studied 69 patients who began IVF treatment six weeks preceding the devastating wildfires that occurred around Labor Day in 2020. For ten days, residents were exposed to unhealthy air that rendered southern Oregon one of the worst places in the world for air pollution at the time. The researchers discovered that the air quality did, in fact, impact treatment.
During the first phase of IVF, patients receive two weeks of hormone injections to stimulate their ovaries to produce eggs. Afterward, patients undergo retrieval, where doctors collect the eggs and then fertilize them with sperm. These fertilized eggs at the very beginning start of the embryonic stage are called blastocytes. The blastocytes are either immediately implanted into the uterus or frozen for future implantation. All blastocytes are not guaranteed to result in viable pregnancies, so more eggs increase the chances of the patient successfully conceiving and delivering a baby.
The researchers examined 16 patients exposed to the unhealthy air and 44 who were not. Their findings also included the eggs exposed to harmful air in the laboratory during collection or fertilization. The patients and the eggs exposed to the air filled with wildfire smoke produced fewer blastocytes. Fortunately, most of the 69 research participants successfully conceived despite the wildfires’ impact on the treatment.
As more intense and frequent natural disasters continue due to climate change, medical practitioners must establish new protocols to provide patients with the best possible care. Pregnant people living in areas prone to wildfires may want to consider purchasing air purifiers for their homes. Those looking to undergo IVF may want to delay treatment during instances of unhealthy air quality. Hospitals and other medical facilities must consider upgrading their air filtration systems.
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