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Preconception lifestyle advice for people with subfertility
Kirsty Anderson1, Robert J Norman, Philippa Middleton
1The Robinson Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 5005.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|April 16, 2010
Summary
Preconception advice on lifestyle factors does not have sufficient evidence from randomized controlled trials to improve live birth rates in infertile individuals. More research is needed to guide clinical practice for fertility treatments.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Evidence-Based Practice
Background:
- Infertility affects many individuals and has significant societal consequences.
- Lifestyle factors like weight, diet, and smoking can impact conception and live birth rates.
- Current guidelines for preconception advice in infertility treatment are lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of preconception advice on live birth rates for individuals seeking fertility treatment.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of lifestyle modification advice in improving fertility outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Searched multiple databases for published and unpublished randomized controlled trials (RCTs) up to October 2009.
- Included RCTs providing preconception advice to individuals perceiving infertility and seeking medical treatment.
- The primary outcome was live birth after 20 weeks of gestation.
Main Results:
- Only one trial on smoking cessation advice for infertile women met the inclusion criteria.
- This trial did not report on live birth rates or other fertility outcomes.
- Smoking cessation advice did not significantly differ from standard advice in improving smoking cessation rates.
Conclusions:
- No RCTs were found that evaluated preconception lifestyle advice for improving live birth rates in infertile individuals.
- The lack of evidence prevents providing clinical guidance for preconception advice in fertility treatment.
- Further research is essential to establish effective preconception interventions for improving fertility outcomes.
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