Occupational and Lifestyle Factors of Male and Female Infertility Patients: Do They Impact ART Success?

Background and Objectives: Numerous risk factors for both female and male fertility have been established including age, ovarian reserve, infertility cause, occupational and lifestyle factors. The objective of our study was to determine the influence of occupational and lifestyle factors on assisted reproduction (ART) outcomes at a Serbian referral tertiary center. Materials and Methods: The study included all consecutive infertile couples undergoing ART at the Clinic for Ob/Gyn University Clinical Center Belgrade, from January 2019 to January 2022. Inclusion criteria comprised primary and unexplained infertility, age ≤ 45 years, body mass index ≤ 30 kg/m² and undergoing fresh autologous ART cycles. All patients filled in the socio-epidemiological questionnaire that analyzed their lifestyle and habits. Medical history data and data regarding the current ART cycle were taken from patient records. The primary outcome was clinical pregnancy. Results: Our study included 501 couples (women and men) with infertility undergoing ART. Clinical pregnancy was achieved in 22.2% of examined patients. Achieving clinical pregnancy in the ART cycle for women was associated with younger age and use of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements, whereas younger age and absence of chronic illnesses were the most important factors for male partners. When women and men were assessed together as couples, achieving clinical pregnancy correlated only with the use of vitamins, minerals and trace-elements by both partners. Conclusions: This study confirmed that some occupational and lifestyle factors were associated with clinical pregnancy after ART in patients with unexplained primary infertility and normal BMI.