Women who suffer from asthma could take longer to get pregnant, according to a new Danish study.
The research from Bispebjerg University Hospital adds further weight to the growing evidence that asthma has a negative effect on fertility.
Lead author Dr Elisabeth Juul Gade and colleagues analysed data from questionnaires completed by more than 15,000 twins living in Denmark.
The researchers divided the participants into women who had asthma (995) and those who did not suffer it. They were then sub-divided into groups of those who were treated for the condition and those who were not.
All participants, who were under the age of 41, were asked whether they had been trying to get pregnant for longer than a year without success and how many children they had given birth to.
The researchers found 27% of asthmatics said it took a prolonged time to get pregnant compared 21.6% of non-asthmatics.
The risk of delayed conception was reported by 30.5% of women with untreated asthma compared with 23.8% of those with asthma who were undergoing treatment.
Asthmatic women over the age of 30 tended to have an even longer wait, with 32.2% struggling to conceive compared with 24.9% under 30.
“Our results shed light on the complex interactions between fertility and asthma,” says Dr Juul Gade. “Although we observed women with asthma experiencing longer waiting times to pregnancy, our findings suggest that if women take their medication and control their asthma, they can reduce this delay.
“As the negative effect of asthma on fertility is reduced by treatment, we can assume that the systemic inflammation characterised by asthma may account for the effect on delaying fertility.
“Despite the delay, our overall results suggest that women with asthma had the same number of children, which is due to the fact that they tend to conceive at an earlier age compared to those without, getting a head start on their reproductive life.”
Gade EJ, Thomsen SF et al. Asthma affects time to pregnancy and fertility: a register-based twin study. European Respiratory Journal. November 2013. Doi: 10.1183/09031936.00148713 [abstract]
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