Ambient air pollution and the sex ratio at birth: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.

ABSTRACT: Ambient air pollution is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as stillbirth, miscarriage, and preterm birth. However, its effects on the viability, implantation, and survival of conceptuses-largely unobserved before the clinical detection of pregnancy-remain poorly understood. Shifts in the sex ratio at birth (SRB) provide a sensitive, population-level indicator of sex-biased conception and pregnancy loss. This systematic review examined whether maternal exposure to ambient air pollution before conception and during pregnancy is associated with deviations in the SRB. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Global Health from inception to 12 February 2025 for observational studies assessing both ambient air pollution exposure and SRB. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria, represent

SUBMITTER: Gazeley U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12633571 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature