Abstract
To determine the risk of having OSA in a cohort of female subjects who are infertile and the odds of being infertile in women with OSA. A nationwide, case-control study of female patients 20 years or older diagnosed with female infertility living in Taiwan, from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2013 (N = 4,078). We identified women who were infertile and created a 2:1 matched control group with women who were not infertile. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to further estimate the effects of OSA on female infertility. In this 14- year retrospective study, we included 4,078 patients having an initial diagnosis of female infertility. Of those women with infertility, 1.38% had a history of OSA compared with 0.63% of fertile controls (p = 0.002). The mean ages in the study groups were 32.19 ± 6.20 years, whereas the mean ages in the control groups were 32.24 ± 6.37years. Women with OSA had 2.101- times the risk of female infertility compared to women without OSA (p<0.001). Our study showed that OSA is more commonly seen in infertile women and increases the odds that a woman will be infertile. More studies need to be done on the whether or not diagnosing and treating OSA can decrease the rate of infertility.
Highlights
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a widely prevalent but often underdiagnosed respiratory disorder characterized by recurrent upper airway obstruction during sleeping
Our study showed that OSA is more commonly seen in infertile women and increases the odds that a woman will be infertile
More studies need to be done on the whether or not diagnosing and treating OSA can decrease the rate of infertility
Summary
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a widely prevalent but often underdiagnosed respiratory disorder characterized by recurrent upper airway obstruction during sleeping. 5% of the general population experiences OSA; among those aged 30–60 years, the prevalence is 9% in women and 24% in men [1, 2]. OSA results in sleep fragmentation and repetitive hypoxemia and is associated with various comorbidities, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, and obesity [4, 5]. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the definition of infertility is the failure to conceive after 1 year or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse [6]. The prevalence of infertility has increased since 1990; in 2010, approximately 48.5 million individuals worldwide suffered from infertility [7]. Female infertility can result from various conditions, including endometriosis, pelvic adhesion, polycystic ovary syndrome, tubal blockage, hyperprolactinemia, and congenital or acquired uterine or ovarian abnormalities [8]
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