Does the hormone cortisol affect fertility?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Examining the association between cortisol and treatment outcome in In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatment
IRAS ID
229947
Contact name
Kavita Vedhara
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The role that cortisol may have on fertility outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment has been an area of interest for several decades (Massey et al., 201). Research published by our group suggest that long-term levels of cortisol, as measured in hair, significantly predicted the likelihood of pregnancy in women undergoing IVF (n=88) (Massey et al., 2016). In that, elevated levels of cortisol wwere associated with a reduced likelihood of conception, accounting for 27% of the variance in pregnancy outcomes even when controlling for other known predictors of pregnancy (e.g. age, number of eggs,etc). We now seek to further explore the relationship between cortisol and fertility outcomes in a larger cohort of women undergoing IVF(n=200)and IUI (n=200)treatment. In addition,no previous study has explored the role that chronic cortisol levels may have on male fertility (e.g. on the quality of their sperm). Plus, we do not know what lifestyle factors (e.g.smoking, exercise, alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption etc) may account for elevated cortisol in this context. The objectives of this research are:
To examine the relationship between cortisol levels (measured in hair) in the 3 months prior to commencing treatment and clinical pregnancy in women undergoing IVF and IUI
To examine the relationship between cortisol levels (measured in hair) in the 3 months prior to commencing treatment and fertility outcomes in men
To explore the relationship between lifestyle factors that influence fertility (e.g., frequency of sexual activity) and/or cortisol (e.g. smoking, exercise, alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption) and indices of fertility in men and treatment outcomes in women
To identify the thresholds at which cortisol levels may hinder or favor conception
The findings from this study will help to understand whether or not chronic cortisol affects fertility outcomes in men and women and, if it does, what lifestyle factors may be associated with elevated levels.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NE/0278
Date of REC Opinion
10 Aug 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion