A new study suggests a single question could help doctors better understand risks to infant health: “Have you ever been sexually active for a year or more without using contraception and not become pregnant?”
The research, led by Dr. Germaine M. Buck Louis, Dean of the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University, explores the link between infertility and infant health. The study was a collaboration with researchers from the University at Albany and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
With medical societies now recognizing infertility as a disease, the researchers examined how a parent’s health, including infertility, affects newborns. Their findings, published in Fertility and Sterility, showed that infertility is linked to shorter pregnancies and smaller babies—measured by weight, length, and head size.
Even after accounting for infertility treatments, infertility remained the strongest condition tied to reduced birth size. Using the broadest definition—having unprotected sex for a year or more without conceiving—infants born to women with infertility weighed an average of 62 grams less, were 0.33 centimeters shorter, and had head circumferences 0.35 centimeters smaller than those born to women without infertility issues.
The study also found that women with chronic conditions such as hypertension or asthma gave birth earlier and to smaller infants.
“Our goal was to better understand how parental health, including infertility and chronic illness, affects children’s health,” said Dr. Buck Louis. “To our knowledge, this is the first study to view infertility alongside other long-term health conditions. It shows these factors may have lasting effects on the next generation.”
The researchers used data from the Upstate KIDS Study, which tracks reproductive health and child development over time. The study, now in its fifth year, was developed using New York State’s Perinatal Data System and supported by the NICHD.
Infertility was measured in three ways: (1) ever being sexually active for at least a year without contraception or pregnancy, (2) taking over 12 months to conceive at any point, and (3) taking over 12 months to conceive the current pregnancy. The first definition showed the most consistent link to birth size.
While more research is needed to understand the causes behind these links, the study supports using questions about infertility in clinical assessments. According to the authors, one simple question may provide valuable insight into future children’s health.
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