How air pollution may affect getting pregnant and early pregnancy loss
Official title: A preconception cohort study of air pollution, fertility, and miscarriage
Funded at Boston University Medical Campus · NIH-11362054 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether outdoor and indoor air pollution makes it harder for couples to get pregnant or raises the chance of miscarriage.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2018 |
| Project end | March 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $810,024 |
| NIH project number | 5R01ES028923-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11362054 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are reproductive-aged couples in the United States or Canada who are planning pregnancy or actively trying to conceive and who are willing to share health information and location data and provide samples when requested.
✕Less likely to help
People not trying to become pregnant, those who are postmenopausal, or those with infertility clearly caused by non-environmental issues (for example, irreversible anatomical problems) are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participation.
What this research studies
If you and your partner are trying to conceive, researchers follow couples across North America using the PRESTO preconception cohort, collecting questionnaires and some biospecimens like blood and semen. They combine participants' home and location data with detailed air pollution maps for PM2.5, NO2, and O3 and extend those models through 2026. The team will link those exposure estimates to outcomes such as time to pregnancy, miscarriage, menstrual changes, markers of ovarian reserve, and semen quality. They will also explore personal air pollution exposure from indoor and outdoor sources to better understand biological pathways.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to air pollution sources people can avoid or to policy changes that reduce exposures and improve chances of pregnancy and lower miscarriage risk.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier PRESTO results and other epidemiologic studies have suggested links between environmental exposures and reproductive outcomes, but large preconception cohort evidence on air pollution remains limited and this work builds on promising but not definitive findings.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston University Medical Campus
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wesselink, Amelia Kent — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Wesselink, Amelia Kent
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.