2025/07/15 by Yujie Cao, Ryan Rose, Meaghan J. Griffiths +7 · 1 voice
Environmental Science · Medicine · Social Sciences · #Fire effects on ecosystems #Intimate Partner and Family Violence #Reproductive Biology and Fertility
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2025.105134
openalex publication_date 2025/07/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/21
Research Question To examine the association between assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycle outcomes and residential proximity to bushfires in Victoria, Australia. Design This retrospective cohort study included participants undergoing oocyte retrieval at Monash IVF clinics up to 6 months before or after bushfire events (n=2001 cycles, July 2019 – June 2020). Data were stratified by cycle date (pre- or post-fires) and by residential postcode (proximal or non-proximal to fires). The proximal region had active fire within that post code. ANOVA (or Kruskal-Wallis test) and Fisher's exact test were used for continuous and categorical data, respectively. Generalised estimating equations and binary logistic regressions were also employed, with adjustments for cofactors. Regression was used to access the correlation between time post-fires and ART outcomes. Results Numbers of oocytes retrieved and fertilised, number of embryos utilised, rates of fertilisation, utilisation, clinical pregnancy and live birth were similar between proximal and non-proximal groups post-fires. Furthermore, numbers and rates were similar between proximal groups pre- and post-fires, and non-proximal groups pre- and post-fires (P>0.1). Correlation analyses revealed a trend in decreasing embryo utilisation rates over time post-fires in the proximal versus non-proximal group, however this was not statistically significant. Conclusions In this cohort, residential proximity to major bushfire events was not associated with any significant alterations to ART outcomes between time- and clinic-matched cycles. However, as global fire events continue to rise in incidence and severity, associations between bushfire exposure and long-term reproductive outcomes are important factors to consider in future research.