Two articles in The Times today report on the possible link between air pollution, increased risk of premature menopause and a lower chances of fertility.
These results though interesting do need to be interpreted with some caution.
Both studies measure ovarian reserve by a blood test measuring the Anti Mullerian (AMH) level. This is a marker that is used in Fertility clinics to estimate the chances of IVF treatment being successful. It is not something that has been widely studied in the population as a whole and may not in fact be a reliable measure of fertility in this context.
Whilst it is concerning that some women living in ‘highly polluted’ areas have very low AMH it is not yet known if this is permanent nor indeed relevant to their future fertility. Neither of these studies have been properly reviewed by experts.
