SynthesisReproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)2026
Association between Particulate Matter (PM₂.₅), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂), Bisphenol A (BPA), and Phthalates and Infertility Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Infertility affects approximately 17.5% of the adult population globally, according to the World Health Organization’s 2023 report, with environmental pollutants increasingly identified as modifiable risk factors. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the effects of particulate matter (PM₂.₅), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), bisphenol A (BPA), and phthalates on semen quality, ovarian reserve, oocyte yield, clinical pregnancy rates (CPR), and time to pregnancy (TTP) in the context of assisted reproductive technology (ART). This study adhered to PRISMA 2020 guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD420251066799). We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase from January 2008 to December 2024. Studies assessing pollutant exposure through ambient monitoring or biomarkers and reporting human reproductive outcomes were included. Two reviewers independently screened 2,478 records, extracted data, and evaluated quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS ≥7) and ROBINS-I V2, 2024 tool. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed using R (metafor package), with heterogeneity (I²), subgroup analyses, and publication bias (funnel plots, Egger’s test) assessed. From 2,478 records, 38 high-quality studies (n=55,620) were included. PM₂.₅ exposure (per 10 µg/m³) reduced sperm concentration by 5.5 million/mL (95% CI: -6.05 to -5.11 , P<0.001, I²=72%) , and NO₂ (per 10 ppb) decreased motility by 4.3 percentage points (95% CI: -4.52 to -4.11 , P<0.001, I²=65%). BPA lowered anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) by 0.42 standardized mean difference (SMD) (95% CI: -0.46 to -0.37 , P<0.001, I²=69%), and phthalates reduced antral follicle count (AFC) by 0.38 SMD (95% CI: -0.42 to -0.33 , P<0.001, I²=67%). Oocyte yield decreased with PM₂.₅ (SMD: -0.33 , 95% CI: -0.38 to -0.28 , P<0.001, I²=62%), and CPR declined with BPA (odds ratio [OR]: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.81- 0.85, P=0.001, I²=58%). No significant TTP effect was observed (SMD: 0.10, 95% CI: -0.09 to 0.29, P=0.30, I²=85%). Although high heterogeneity was explored through subgroup and sensitivity analyses, revealing variability by region and exposure duration, there was no change in the overall non-significance. PM2.5, NO2, BPA, and phthalates demonstrate significant, dose-dependent adverse impacts on male and female fertility parameters, including semen quality, ovarian reserve, oocyte yield, and CPR. These results underscore the pressing need for regulatory measures and further research to alleviate reproductive health threats from rising environmental pollution.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41649762What Socratic holds
Registered trials
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.