By Andrea Shepperson - 5 Aug 2011
Trying to have a baby? It might be time to see your dentist. New evidence from the Director of Fertility Specialists in Western Australia, Professor Roger Hart suggests that gum disease can affect the chance of a woman conceiving.
Professor Hart presented his findings of the SMILE study at the
European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology recently.
Gum disease sets up a host response that delivers a cascade of
inflammatory chemicals and markers into the bloodstream. These have
been well recognised to influence heart disease, cause premature
birth and miscarriage and now evidence points to their influence on
conception.
The team followed 3737 women in Western Australia and measured
pregnancy outcomes. Women with gum disease took an average of 7
months to conceive compared with women with healthy gums who took
only 5 months. The figures were less positive for non-Caucasian
women who took over a year to conceive.
Professor Hart said "Until now, there have been no published
studies that investigate whether gum disease can affect a woman's
chance of conceiving, so this is the first report to suggest that
gum disease might be one of several factors that could be modified
to improve the chances of a pregnancy."
The report concluded that gum disease exerts a negative
influence on fertility that is of the same order of magnitude as
obesity. This study also confirms other, known negative influences
upon time to conception for a woman; these include being over 35
years of age, being overweight or obese, and being a smoker. There
was no correlation between the time it took to become pregnant and
the socio-economic status of the woman.
Our advice for those planning to conceive - seek advice from a
dentist or hygienist. They will be able to assess very quickly
whether you have gum disease or not and will propose a range of
strategies, from treatment to homecare advice and prescription of
products that will help reduce harmful bacterial counts.
If you think you might be at risk of gum disease we'd be happy
to advise. You can phone us on +64 9 9192660 or email us on info@citydental.co.nz
Read more at /services/dental-hygienist.aspx
Read the full article in Science Daily at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110705071548.htm