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. 2020 Mar;53(2):73-81.
doi: 10.3961/jpmph.19.218. Epub 2020 Feb 10.

Association Between the Frequency of Eating Non-home-prepared Meals and Women Infertility in the United States

Sohyae Lee  1 , Jin-Young Min  2 , Hye-Jin Kim  1 , Kyoung-Bok Min  1
Affiliations

Association Between the Frequency of Eating Non-home-prepared Meals and Women Infertility in the United States

Sohyae Lee et al. J Prev Med Public Health. 2020 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: 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.

Keywords: Cross-sectional studies; Fast foods; Frozen foods; Reproductive health.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors have no conflicts of interest associated with the material presented in this paper.

Figures

Figure. 1.
Figure. 1.
Flow chart of study population selection. NHNANES, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; BSO, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy; NHPM, non-home-prepared meals.
Figure. 2.
Figure. 2.
Prevalence (%) of infertility according to the number and types of non-home-prepared meals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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