Seasonal variation in human fecundability.
Seasonality of effective fecundability was investigated in a cohort of 402 women born in or near Rotterdam, The Netherlands, between 1873 and 1887, and married before the age of 40 years. Applying a newly developed method allowing simultaneous control for inherent couple fecundability, numbers at risk of pregnancy, and multiple confounders, we found a trend towards higher fecundability during the first half of June and the first half of December (P = 0.06). Seasonality of effective fecundability appeared to be strongest for women who married at <20 years of age. Potentially important implications for the study of seasonality of adverse reproductive outcome are discussed.
Smits
L J
LJ
Department of Epidemiology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Zielhuis
G A
GA
Jongbloet
P H
PH
Straatman
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010507:Periodicity; D011247:Pregnancy