The purpose of the LIFE Study is to assess the impact of environmental factors, broadly defined to include lifestyle factors, on human reproduction and development. The LIFE Study is consistent with the mission of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development that includes conducting basic, clinical and epidemiologic research focusing on factors and processes associated with human reproduction and development thereby, ensuring the birth of healthy infants capable of reaching full adult potential unimpaired by physical or mental disabilities. This study is assessing the relation between select environmental factors and human fecundity and fertility, particularly in the context of lifestyle. 501 couples discontinuing contraception for purposes of becoming pregnant were recruited from 16 targeted counties in Michigan and Texas. Couples completed baseline interviews and standardized anthropometric assessments and were prospectively followed for up to 12 months attempting pregnancy. Pregnant women were followed until delivery. Couples provided blood and urine samples at baseline, and men provided semen samples and women saliva samples for the analysis of semen quality and stress biomarkers, respectively. Select blood metals (lead and cadmium), serum organochlorine pollutants (PCBs and PFCs), short lived (e.g.,parabens, phenols, phthalates) chemicals and acute exposure ambient air pollution species were found to be associated with couple fecundity as measured by a longer time required for pregnancy. Male chemical concentrations were observed to be associated with greater reduction in fecundity. Other persistent chemicals such as PFCs were associated with select semen quality endpoints as were other short lived chemicals such as specific phthalates and UV-type BP filters. In a substudy, ambient air pollution was not associated with semen quality endpoints (Nobles et al. Environ Res 2018), but was associated with pregnancy loss (Ha et al. Fertil Steril 2018) and with fecundability (Nobles et al. Hum Reprod 2018) during acute exposure windows.
| Nobles, Carrie J; Schisterman, Enrique F; Ha, Sandie et al. (2018) Time-varying cycle average and daily variation in ambient air pollution and fecundability. Hum Reprod 33:166-176 |
| Nobles, Carrie J; Schisterman, Enrique F; Ha, Sandie et al. (2018) Ambient air pollution and semen quality. Environ Res 163:228-236 |
| Lum, Kirsten J; Sundaram, Rajeshwari; Barr, Dana B et al. (2017) Perfluoroalkyl Chemicals, Menstrual Cycle Length, and Fecundity: Findings from a Prospective Pregnancy Study. Epidemiology 28:90-98 |
| Buck Louis, Germaine M; Smarr, Melissa M; Sundaram, Rajeshwari et al. (2017) Low-level environmental metals and metalloids and incident pregnancy loss. Reprod Toxicol 69:68-74 |
| Mendola, Pauline; Sundaram, Rajeshwari; Louis, Germaine M Buck et al. (2017) Proximity to major roadways and prospectively-measured time-to-pregnancy and infertility. Sci Total Environ 576:172-177 |
| Louis, Germaine M Buck; Sapra, Katherine J; Barr, Dana Boyd et al. (2016) Preconception perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and incident pregnancy loss, LIFE Study. Reprod Toxicol 65:11-17 |
| Buck Louis, G M; Barr, D B; Kannan, K et al. (2016) Paternal exposures to environmental chemicals and time-to-pregnancy: overview of results from the LIFE study. Andrology 4:639-47 |
| Smarr, Melissa M; Grantz, Katherine L; Zhang, Cuilin et al. (2016) Persistent organic pollutants and pregnancy complications. Sci Total Environ 551-552:285-91 |
| Buck Louis, Germaine M; Sapra, Katherine J; Schisterman, Enrique F et al. (2016) Lifestyle and pregnancy loss in a contemporary cohort of women recruited before conception: The LIFE Study. Fertil Steril 106:180-188 |
| Sapra, Katherine J; Joseph, K S; Galea, Sandro et al. (2016) Signs and Symptoms of Early Pregnancy Loss: A Systematic Review. Reprod Sci : |
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