ArticleBMC public health2015
Relationship between risk factors for infertility in women and lead, cadmium, and arsenic blood levels: a cross-sectional study from Taiwan.
Article in BMC public health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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
27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association between physical activity and infertility: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of translational medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Toxicology of Airborne Inorganic Arsenic: Oxidative Stress, Molecular Mechanisms, and Organ-Specific Pathologies.Toxics · 2025Review
- Global, regional, and national burden of female infertility and trends from 1990 to 2021 with projections to 2050 based on the GBD 2021 analysis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Association between urinary arsenic and the prevalence of endometriosis in women in the United States.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- A Review of Potentially Toxic Elements in Sediment, Water, and Aquatic Species from the River Ecosystems.Toxics · 2024Review
- Exposure to Environmental Chemicals and Infertility Among US Reproductive-Aged Women.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Association between blood lead levels and unfavorable IVF outcomes: potential involvement of endoplasmic reticulum stress response in granulosa cells.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2024Article
- Arsenic toxicity: sources, pathophysiology and mechanism.Toxicology research · 2024Review
- Involvement of Nrf2 Signaling in Lead-induced Toxicity.Current medicinal chemistry · 2024Review
- Associations between exposure to cadmium, lead, mercury and mixtures and women's infertility and long-term amenorrhea.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2023Article
- Exposure to heavy metals and hormone levels in midlife women: The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN).Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) · 2023Article
- Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment and Its Impact on Health: Exploring Green Technology for Remediation.Environmental health insights · 2023Review
- Association between heavy metals exposure and infertility among American women aged 20-44 years: A cross-sectional analysis from 2013 to 2018 NHANES data.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Arsenic, Oxidative Stress and Reproductive System.Journal of xenobiotics · 2022Review
- Uncovering Evidence: Associations between Environmental Contaminants and Disparities in Women's Health.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- Trends of Blood Lead Levels in US Pregnant Women: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001-2018).Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- An approach to classifying occupational exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals by sex hormone function using an expert judgment process.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2021Review
- Ameliorating Effects of Natural Antioxidant Compounds on Female Infertility: a Review.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2021Review
- Arsenic-Related Health Risk Assessment of Realgar-Containing NiuHuangJieDu Tablets in Healthy VolunteersFrontiers in pharmacology · 2021Article
- A case-control study of arsenic exposure with the risk of primary ovarian insufficiency in women.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2020Article
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 at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe World Health Organization reported that more than 10 % of women are severely affected by infertility, making the condition a major worldwide public health problem. Lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As) are environmental pollutants that may contribute to reproductive disorders. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between blood concentrations of Pb, Cd, and As and risk factors for infertility in women.
methodsWomen who were infertile (N = 310) or pregnant (N = 57) were recruited from the gynecology and obstetrics department of a hospital. The participants were interviewed to obtain their sociodemographic, reproductive, and lifestyle information. The concentrations of Pb, Cd, and As in their blood samples were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
resultsOur findings suggested that the concentrations of Pb and As, but not Cd, were significantly higher in the blood of infertile women than in that of pregnant women. A higher percentage of the infertile women consumed more alcohol, used Chinese herbal medicine more frequently, and lacked physical activity compared with the pregnant women. After accounting for potentially relevant predictors, we observed that blood Pb levels might be elevated by using Chinese herbal medicine 1-6 times per week (aOR = 2.82, p = 0.05). In addition, engaging in physical activity 1-2 times per week (aOR = 0.37, p = 0.05) might assist in reducing Pb accumulation in infertile women, though the p value was borderline.
conclusionsLack of physical activity and frequent use of Chinese herbal medicine may be associated with elevated blood Pb levels in infertile women. Chinese herbal medicine use was observed to increase the Pb body burden of both infertile and pregnant women in this study. The risk-benefit for Chinese herbal medicine intake should be evaluated by women of childbearing age.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion 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 OpenQuestion graph.