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Gum disease may have the same effect on pregnancy as obesity, according a professor at the University of Western Australia.
Roger Hart, professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Western Australia, announced this discovery at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
Periodontal disease is a chronic problem that results in inflammation of the gums. Periodontal disease is associated with other issues, like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, respiratory issues, kidney problems and pregnancy problems.
To formulate enough data to determine that gum disease negatively impacts pregnancy, more than 3,700 pregnant women in Australia took part in the study. The information on planning the pregnancy and outcomes was researched for all but about 300 of them.
The women who were discovered to have gum disease took roughly seven months to get pregnant, compared to five months for women without gum disease. The study also found that noncaucasion women who had gum disease were likely to take more than a year to get pregnant, compared to the women without gum disease. They were also at a 13.9 percent higher risk for later conception compared to 6.2 percent without gum disease.
Of the 3,416 total women who were part of this study, 1,014 had gum disease. Other factors like age, weight, and smoking also adversely impacted fertility.
It is best to have gum disease treated before trying to conceive. It’s also best to maintain solid oral health throughout life, especially when to trying to start a family.
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