Environmental and Behavioral Factors in Infertility and ART Outcomes

January 26, 2026 updated by: Peng enuo, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University

A Large-Scale Prospective Cohort Study on the Association of Environmental Exposures and Behavioral Factors With Infertility and Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Success Rates

This large-scale study aims to understand how everyday environment and lifestyle may affect the success of fertility treatments like IVF. The main idea is that exposure to certain environmental chemicals (e.g., from plastics or air pollution) and personal habits (e.g., diet, stress) could be linked to whether these treatments result in a successful pregnancy and live birth.

The study will follow approximately 5,000 couples undergoing fertility treatment in Hunan, China. Participants will answer questionnaires about their health, lifestyle, and environment and provide small biological samples (like blood and urine) during their standard treatment process. Their treatment outcomes will be tracked anonymously.The goal is to identify factors that might lower the chances of treatment success. This knowledge could help future patients and doctors make informed decisions and could guide public health advice on reducing potential risks. The study has received ethical approval, and all participant information will be kept strictly confidential.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

5000

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • China
    • Hunan
      • Changsha, Hunan, China, 410013
        • Recruiting
        • Reproductive Medicine Center of Xiangya Third Hospital of Central South University
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

This study aims to establish a cohort of infertility patients in Hunan Province. Patients with infertility who visited Xiangya Third Hospital in Changsha, Hunan Province from December 2024 to December 2034 will be included. The research subjects will be selected based on clear inclusion and exclusion criteria. Baseline data covering social demographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviors, basic health status, physiological and biochemical indicators, and exposure measurements of environmental factors will be collected from the start of the study to follow-up until the time of childbirth, pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care, to observe the live birth situation of infertility patients through ART. This will provide data support for the research on identifying risk factors, early prediction, intervention and prevention of infertility patients' ART.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • A. Women aged 18 to 46 who use their own eggs; Men aged 18 to 55 who use their own sperm; B. Patients meeting the diagnostic criteria for infertility; C. Medical history clearly indicating the duration of persistent infertility; D. Voluntarily participating in the project and signing the informed consent form;

Exclusion Criteria:

  • A. The groups of artificial insemination patients with any of the following ARTs contraindications: a. The female has a sperm-egg combination disorder caused by tubal factors. b. The female has acute infections of the reproductive and urinary systems or sexually transmitted diseases. c. The female has genetic diseases, severe physical illnesses, or mental and psychological disorders. d. There is a history of giving birth to infants with congenital defects and it has been confirmed that the defect was caused by the female. e. The female has been exposed to teratogenic doses of radiation, toxins, or drugs and is in the active period. f. The female has bad habits such as alcoholism or drug abuse. B. The groups of first-generation and second-generation IVF patients with any of the following ARTs contraindications: a. Either of the parties providing gametes has acute infections of the reproductive and urinary systems and sexually transmitted diseases or has bad habits such as alcoholism or drug abuse. b. Either of the parties providing gametes has been exposed to teratogenic doses of radiation, toxins, or drugs and is in the active period. c. The female partner of the recipient who provides eggs or embryos has acute infections of the reproductive and urinary systems and sexually transmitted diseases, or has bad habits such as alcoholism or drug abuse. d. The female has an unviable uterus or severe physical illnesses that cannot withstand pregnancy. C. No embryo transfer was performed after egg retrieval; D. More than 180 days have passed since egg retrieval and frozen embryo transfer was performed.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Exposure group
Behavioral: plastic products
Environmental pollutants related to plastic products
Non-exposure group
Behavioral: None exposure
No environmental pollutants related to plastic products

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Live birth rate following the first ART cycle
Time Frame: Within 24 months from the initiation of the first ART cycle
The proportion of participants achieving at least one live birth (gestational age ≥ 28 weeks) after the initiation of their first ART treatment cycle.
Within 24 months from the initiation of the first ART cycle

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

December 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2034

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 26, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • xy3-Peng-ENV

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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