Where a couple lives could make a difference in how easy it is for them to conceive.
That’s according to a new study from Denmark, which showed that living near a busy road could delay a couple’s attempts to conceive by six to 12 months.
Researchers from the Danish Cancer Society Research Centre in Copenhagen analysed data from a project on gestational and childhood health, reports New Scientist.
They looked at women who had attempted to get pregnant during the project, which ran between 1996 and 2002, who lived in areas for which traffic noise data was available.
Previous studies suggested that 80 per cent of women who attempt to conceive manage to do so within six period cycles, but this research showed that for every 10 decibels of extra traffic noise around a woman’s home, there was a 5 to 8 per cent increased chance of her taking six months or longer to conceive.
Even when things like poverty levels and air pollution were taken into account, the figures remained the same, suggesting some link between traffic noise levels and conceiving, though it was not clear if it was the man or the woman in the couple who was affected.
