Healthy Fertility and Environmental Sustainability: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Background: A decline in fertility followed by an increase in the aging of the population is one of the demographic crises. The healthy fertility program aims to increase the overall fertility rate above the replacement level of the programs of the Ministry of Health. Since the preservation and sustainability of the environment is one of the factors affecting the fertility rate. This review study was designed to investigate healthy fertility and environmental sustainability. Methods: In this narrative review in the electronic databases Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, SID, Magiran, and IranMedex, articles related to healthy fertility and the environment, without language restrictions between the years 2000- 2023, were reviewed. Original descriptive research studies were quality-assessed based on the STROBE checklist. After careful examination of the studies, the contents of the articles were categorized into three areas. Findings: The effects of environmental instability on fertility can be divided into three categories of consequences, which include "female infertility"; "male infertility" and "reduced success of assisted reproductive methods". Conclusion: The instability of the environment with the pollutants that it imposes on the digestive and respiratory systems of humans through air, water, and soil can affect healthy fertility and intensify the decrease in childbearing rates. Therefore, the focus of reproductive health experts and population and health policy makers to increase education and awareness of environmental risk factors seems necessary. © 2024 Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.