title: Do subfertile women adjust their habits when trying to conceive?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate lifestyle habits and lifestyle adjustments among subfertile women trying to conceive.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women (n = 747) were recruited consecutively at their first visit to fertility clinics in mid-Sweden. Participants completed a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using logistic regression, t tests, and chi-square tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 62% (n = 466). Mean duration of infertility was 1.9 years. During this time 13.2% used tobacco daily, 13.6% drank more than three cups of coffee per day, and 11.6% consumed more than two glasses of alcohol weekly. In this sample, 23.9% of the women were overweight (body mass index, BMI 25-29.9 kg/m(2)), and 12.5% were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m(2)). Obese women exercised more and changed to healthy diets more frequently than normal-weight women (odds ratio 7.43; 95% confidence interval 3.7-14.9). Six out of ten women (n = 266) took folic acid when they started trying to conceive, but 11% stopped taking folic acid after some time. Taking folic acid was associated with a higher level of education (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among subfertile women, one-third were overweight or obese, and some had other lifestyle factors with known adverse effects on fertility such as use of tobacco. Overweight and obese women adjusted their habits but did not reduce their body mass index. Women of fertile age would benefit from preconception counseling, and the treatment of infertility should routinely offer interventions for lifestyle changes.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Women's and Children's Health , Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden ;|b Centre for Clinical Research, Uppsala University, County Council of Västmanland, Västmanland County Hospital , Västerås , Sweden ;
authors.forename: Lana Salih
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Joelsson
authors.affiliation: c The National Centre for Knowledge of Men's Violence against Women, Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden ;
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berglund
authors.affiliation: a Department of Women's and Children's Health , Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden ;|d Department of Clinical Science , Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden ;
authors.forename: Kjell
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wånggren
authors.affiliation: e Department of Women's Health , Fertility Unit, Örebro University Hospital , Örebro , Sweden ;
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lood
authors.affiliation: b Centre for Clinical Research, Uppsala University, County Council of Västmanland, Västmanland County Hospital , Västerås , Sweden ;
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosenblad
authors.affiliation: f Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences , Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tydén
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000150:complications; D008019:Life Style; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D016017:Odds Ratio; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications; D011247:Pregnancy; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol consumption; assisted reproduction; diet; infertility; lifestyle; obesity; pregnancy; tobacco use