Background
Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and their food sources have garnered interest as a
potential nutrient with wide-range health benefits, including fertility.
Objective
This study aimed to investigate the association of women’s and men’s intake of omega-3
fatty acids and omega-3 rich–foods with semen quality and outcomes of infertility
treatment with assisted reproductive technologies.
Study Design
Couples presenting to the Massachusetts General Hospital were invited to enroll in
a prospective cohort study (2007–2020). Male and female diets were assessed using
a validated 131-item food frequency questionnaire. The primary outcomes were implantation,
clinical pregnancy, and live birth probabilities. The secondary outcomes included
total and clinical pregnancy loss and conventional semen parameters, for males only.
We estimated the relationship between intakes of omega-3 fatty acids, nuts, and fish
and the probability (95% confidence interval) of study outcomes using generalized
linear mixed models to account for repeated treatment cycles per participant while
simultaneously adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking status, education, dietary
patterns, total energy intake, and male partner diet.
Results
A total of 229 couples and 410 assisted reproductive technology cycles were analyzed
for primary and secondary outcomes. Of note, 343 men contributing 896 semen samples
were included in analyses for semen quality measures. Women’s docosahexaenoic acid +
eicosapentaenoic acid intake was positively associated with live birth. The multivariable-adjusted
probabilities of live birth for women in the bottom and top quartiles of eicosapentaenoic
acid + docosahexaenoic acid intake were 0.36 (95% confidence interval, 0.26–0.48)
and 0.54 (95% confidence interval, 0.42–0.66) (P trend=.02). Eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid intake was inversely related
to the risk of pregnancy loss, which was 0.53 among women in the lowest quartile of
eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid intake and 0.05 among women in the highest
quartile (P trend=.01). Men’s intake of total omega-3 fatty acids was positively related to sperm
count, concentration, and motility, but unrelated to any assisted reproductive technology
outcomes. Similar associations were observed when evaluating the intake of primary
food sources of these fatty acids.
Conclusion
Women’s consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and omega-3–rich foods may improve the
probability of conception by decreasing the risk of pregnancy loss. In addition, men’s
intake of omega-3 fatty acids may influence semen quality.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 29, 2022
Accepted:
March 24,
2022
Received in revised form:
March 12,
2022
Received:
December 8,
2021
Footnotes
The authors report no conflict of interest.
This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grant numbers R01-ES009718 and P30-DK046200). A.S.H. acknowledges the support from the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Spain) under the project IJC2019-039615-I. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Cite this article as: Salas-Huetos A, Arvizu M, Mínguez-Alarcón L, et al. Women’s and men’s intake of omega-3 fatty acids and their food sources and assisted reproductive technology outcomes. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2022;227:246.e1-11.
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