Fertility and Sterility
Volume 96, Issue 5, November 2011, Pages 1149-1153
doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2011.08.034 | How to Cite or Link Using DOI
Dietary patterns and difficulty conceiving: a nested case–control study
Estefania Toledo M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. a; Cristina Lopez-del Burgo M.D., Ph.D.a, b; Alvaro Ruiz-Zambrana M.D. c; Mikel Donazar M.D. d; Íñigo Navarro-Blasco Ph.D. e; Miguel A. Martínez-González M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. a; Jokin de Irala M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. a, b
a Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
c Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
d School of Medicine, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
b Institute for Culture and Society, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
e Department of Chemistry and Soil Science, School of Science, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
Received 8 June 2011; revised 18 August 2011; Accepted 20 August 2011. Available online 22 September 2011.
Objective
To investigate potential associations between dietary patterns (defined using factor analysis) and difficulty conceiving.
Design
Case–control study nested in a Spanish cohort of university graduates (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra [SUN] Project).
Setting
Female university graduates all over Spain participating in the SUN Project.
Patient(s)
A total of 485 women, aged 20–45 years, reporting having presented with difficulty getting pregnant, and 1,669 age-matched controls who had at least one child.
Intervention(s)
None.
Main Outcome Measure(s)
Reported difficulty getting pregnant. Data were collected from baseline and follow-up questionnaires of the SUN Project.
Result(s)
Two dietary patterns were identified. They were labeled as “Mediterranean-type” and “Western-type” patterns. A lower risk of difficulty getting pregnant was apparent in the highest quartile of adherence to the Mediterranean-type pattern compared with the lowest quartile (odds ratio 0.56, 95% confidence interval 0.35–0.95). Greater adherence to the Western-type dietary pattern showed no association with this outcome.
Conclusion(s)
A greater adherence to the Mediterranean-type dietary pattern may enhance fertility. Further evidence about the relationship between this dietary pattern and fertility is needed to develop nutritional interventions for women desiring to get pregnant.
Disclosures: None
This study was supported by the Spanish Government (grant PI050514 and RTIC 06/0045 from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias).
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