Preconceptional Maternal Vegetable Intake and Paternal Smoking Are Associated with Pre-implantation Embryo Quality

Abstract

Inadequate nutrition and lifestyle behaviors, particularly during the periconception period, are associated with a negative impact on embryonic and subsequent fetal development. We investigated the associations between parental nutritional and lifestyle factors and pre-implantation embryo development. A total of 113 women and 41 partners, with a corresponding 490 embryos, who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment subscribed to the mHealth coaching platform “Smarter Pregnancy.” At baseline, nutrition and lifestyle behaviors (intake of fruits, vegetables, folic acid, and smoking and alcohol use) were identified and risk scores were calculated. A lower risk score represents healthier behavior. As outcome measure, a time-lapse morphokinetic selection algorithm (KIDScore) was used to rank pre-implantation embryo quality on a scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (good) after being cultured in the Embryoscope™ time-lapse incubator until embryonic day 3. To study the association between the nutritional and lifestyle risk scores and the KIDScore in men and women, we used a proportional odds model. In women, the dietary risk score (DRS), a combination of the risk score of fruits, vegetables, and folic acid, was negatively associated with the KIDScore (OR 0.86 (95% CI 0.76 to 0.98), p = 0.02). This could mainly be attributed to an inadequate vegetable intake (OR 0.76 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.96), p = 0.02). In men, smoking was negatively associated with the KIDscore (OR 0.53 (95% CI 0.33 to 0.85), p < 0.01). We conclude that inadequate periconceptional maternal vegetable intake and paternal smoking significantly reduce the implantation potential of embryos after ICSI treatment. Identifying modifiable lifestyle risk factors can contribute to directed, personalized, and individual recommendations that can potentially increase the chance of a healthy pregnancy.

Paternal smoking is associated with an increased risk of pregnancy loss in a dose-dependent manner: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Because of the minimal repair capacity of ejaculated sperm, changes in genomic integrity of spermatozoa may persist on conception. A recent study showed that paternal lifestyle characteristics, potentially mediated by sperm DNA fragmentation, have significant effects on embryo developmental kinetics in couples who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment (39). In addition, impaired sperm DNA integrity has been associated with pregnancy loss in both spontaneous and assisted pregnancies (40,41).…”

Health‐related behaviours and weight status of expectant fathers

“…Of note is that prior studies examining paternal lifestyle behaviours have predominantly focused on the preconception e.g.54,55 and post‐birth phases, e.g.41,50 limiting the ability to compare the present results with previous research. However, our findings raise the possibility that fathers’ health‐related intentions and behaviours may differ during the antenatal period compared to other times in their lives, and that this window may be an opportunity for effective intervention.…”

Optimizing the Periconception Lifestyle of Women With Overweight Using a Blended Personalized Care Intervention Combining eHealth and Face-to-face Counseling (eFUSE): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…The main outcome measure is the difference in the change of the LRS (measured in week 0 and week 24 of the blended personalized periconception lifestyle care intervention) between the intervention group and the control group (difference in differences) [ 28 ]. The LRS is a locally developed composite score of lifestyle behaviors, including vegetable and fruit intake, folic acid supplement use (only for women), not smoking, and not consuming alcohol.…”