Higher Urinary Lignan Concentrations in Women but Not Men Are Positively Associated with Shorter Time to Pregnancy1–4

Phytoestrogens have been associated with subtle hormonal changes, although effects on fecundity are unknown. Our objective was to evaluate the association between male and female urinary phytoestrogen (isoflavone and lignan) concentrations and time to pregnancy (TTP) in a population-based cohort of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of nutrition 2014-03, Vol.144 (3), p.352-358
Main Authors: Mumford, Sunni L., Sundaram, Rajeshwari, Schisterman, Enrique F., Sweeney, Anne M., Barr, Dana Boyd, Rybak, Michael E., Maisog, Jose M., Parker, Daniel L., Pfeiffer, Christine M., Louis, Germaine M. Buck
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Birth control
Couples
Diet
Fertility
Infertility
Metabolites
Population
Pregnancy
Soy products
Statistical analysis
Statistical methods
Studies
Women
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Phytoestrogens have been associated with subtle hormonal changes, although effects on fecundity are unknown. Our objective was to evaluate the association between male and female urinary phytoestrogen (isoflavone and lignan) concentrations and time to pregnancy (TTP) in a population-based cohort of 501 couples desiring pregnancy and discontinuing contraception. Couples were followed for 12 mo or until pregnancy. Fecundability ORs (FORs) and 95% CIs were estimated after adjusting for age, body mass index, race, site, creatinine, supplement use, and physical activity in relation to female, male, and joint couple concentrations. Models included the phytoestrogen of interest and the sum of the remaining individual phytoestrogens. FORs 1 a shorter TTP. Urinary lignan concentrations were higher, on average, among female partners of couples who became pregnant during the study compared with women who did not become pregnant (median enterodiol: 118 vs. 80 nmol/L; P < 0.10; median enterolactone: 990 vs. 412 nmol/L; P < 0.05) and were associated with significantly shorter TTP in models based on both individual and couples’ concentrations (couples’ models: enterodiol FOR, 1.13; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.26; enterolactone FOR, 1.11; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.21). Male lignan concentrations were not associated with TTP, nor were isoflavone concentrations. Sensitivity analyses showed that associations observed are unlikely to be explained by potential unmeasured confounding by lifestyle or other nutrients. Our results suggest that female urinary lignan concentrations at levels characteristic of the U.S. population are associated with a shorter TTP among couples who are attempting to conceive, highlighting the importance of dietary influences on fecundity.
ISSN:0022-3166
1541-6100
DOI:10.3945/jn.113.184820