Evidence mapPaperPMID 41250147Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2025

Age among women and men, time to pregnancy and risk of miscarriage.

Aline J Boxem, Sophia M Blaauwendraad, Annemarie G M G J Mulders, Eline L Bekkers, Romy Gaillard, Vincent W V Jaddoe

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Paternal age is associated with offspring bone health-but not soft tissue composition or fracture: the Vitamin D in Pregnancy Study.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Aline J BoxemThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Sophia M BlaauwendraadThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Annemarie G M G J MuldersDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Eline L BekkersThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Romy GaillardThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Vincent W V JaddoeThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. v.jaddoe@erasmusmc.nl.

Funding

Diabetes Fonds 2024.28.001European Research Council ERC-2014-CoG-648916)European Research Council ERC-2024-STG-101161004ZonMw 05430052110007ZonMw 09150172110034
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOlder age of women is strongly associated with reduced fertility and early pregnancy complications. These associations might also be present across the full range of reproductive age of both women and men. We assessed the associations of age of women and men with time to pregnancy and miscarriage risk.

methodsThis population-based prospective cohort study was conducted in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. A total of 3604 women and their partners were included from the preconception period onwards with follow-up until birth. For this study, participants were followed until conception or 22 weeks of pregnancy for the time to pregnancy and miscarriage analyses, respectively. Outcomes included fecundability, defined as the per-month probability of conceiving; infertility, defined as a time to pregnancy or duration of pursuing pregnancy of more than 12 months or use of assisted reproductive technology; and miscarriage, defined as pregnancy loss before 22 weeks of gestation.

resultsIn total, 18.1% of the population was infertile and 12.7% of all recognized pregnancies led to a miscarriage. As compared to women aged 30.0-34.9 years, those aged < 25.0, 25.0-29.9, and ≥ 40.0 years had increased odds of infertility (odds ratio (OR) 2.14 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.60-2.87); OR 1.27 (95% CI, 1.05-1.53); and OR 2.00 (95% CI, 1.05-3.80), respectively). Women aged 35.0-39.9 years had no increased odds of infertility. Similar results were observed for fecundability. As compared to women aged 30.0-34.9 years at conception, those aged 35.0-39.9 and ≥ 40.0 years had strongly increased odds of miscarriage (OR 2.03 (95% CI, 1.51-2.72) and 4.24 (95% CI, 2.45-7.36), respectively). As compared to men aged 30.0-34.9 years, those aged < 25.0 years had lower fecundability (fecundability ratio (FR) 0.71 (95% CI, 0.58-0.87)). As compared to men aged 30.0-34.9 years, those aged ≥ 40.0 years had the highest odds of miscarriage (OR, 2.09 (95% CI, 1.39-3.14)).

conclusionsAge among both women and their partners is a strong risk factor for adverse fertility and early pregnancy outcomes. Strategies optimizing age at which couples start family planning, focusing on both women and men, will have a great individual and public health impact.

Indexed as

Abortion, SpontaneousTime-to-PregnancyAdultAge FactorsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNetherlandsPregnancyProspective StudiesRisk FactorsYoung AdultCouplesFecundabilityFertilityInfertilityMiscarriagePreconceptionReproductive age

Identifiers

PMID41250147
PMCPMC12625503

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.