Amelia K. Wesselink

Childhood adversity has been associated with adverse adult health outcomes. We investigated its association with spontaneous abortion (SAB) risk and the potential buffering effects of social support and integration (SSI). This analysis incl…

Discrimination may increase risk of spontaneous abortion (SAB, pregnancy loss <20 weeks' gestation) through physiological responses and limited access to resources. We examined associations between self-reported experiences of discriminatio…

Racialized economic segregation is a known determinant of health disparities that has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, no study has investigated its association with fecundability, the per-cycle probability of conce…

BACKGROUND: Oil and gas development-a highly prevalent industry in North America-is often located near residential communities. This industry produces a complex mixture of pollutants that may impact human health. Despite well-documented ass…

BACKGROUND: Use of chemical hair straighteners ("relaxers") is associated with higher risks of hormonally mediated conditions. We hypothesized users of relaxers would have a higher prevalence of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) and dysmenorr…

BACKGROUND: Female sexual function is important for sexual well-being, general health, fertility, and relationship satisfaction. Distressing impairments in sexual function, clinically recognized as female sexual dysfunction (FSD), can manif…

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether exposure to lower-chlorinated PCBs from building materials is associated with increased incidence of UL, endometriosis, and PCOS in female residents. METHODS: We studied 21,619 residents of two Danish partially…

BACKGROUND: Fertility success among mixed-sex couples often depends on frequency and timing of sexual intercourse, yet little research has evaluated the association between preconception sexual function and time-to-pregnancy. OBJECTIVE: To…

STUDY QUESTION: To what extent are there racial and ethnic disparities in fecundability in North America? SUMMARY ANSWER: In a North American preconception cohort study, we observed large differences in fecundability across racial and ethn…

STUDY QUESTION: To what extent are self-reported diagnoses of food allergies associated with fecundability, the per-cycle probability of conception? SUMMARY ANSWER: Fecundability was not appreciably associated with self-reported food aller…

INTRODUCTION: Menstrual health is a key patient-reported outcome beyond its importance as a general indicator of health and fertility. However, menstrual function was not measured in the clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines. The purpose of …

We examined the association between childhood adversity and fecundability (the per-cycle probability of conception), and the extent to which childhood social support modified this association. We used data from 6318 female participants aged…

STUDY QUESTION: To what extent do self-reported sleep duration and non-daytime work schedules in either partner affect the rate of spontaneous abortion (SAB)? SUMMARY ANSWER: Incidence of SAB had little association with female sleep durati…

STUDY QUESTION: To what extent is preconception maternal or paternal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination associated with miscarriage incidence? SUMMARY ANSWER: COVID-19 vaccination in either partner at any time before conceptio…

BACKGROUND: Metals may influence reproductive health, but few studies have investigated correlates of metal body burden among reproductive-aged women outside of pregnancy. Furthermore, while there is evidence of racial disparities in exposu…

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association between preconception contraceptive use and miscarriage. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Residents of the United States of America or Canada, recruited from 2013 until the end of 2022. P…

BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence of female sexual dysfunction in population-based studies and the importance of sexual functioning for mixed-sex couples attempting conception, little is known about female sexual function in the preco…

Some studies indicate that Black women have higher exposure to multiple non-persistent endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) than white women, but little is known about correlates of exposure to EDC mixtures. Using baseline data from a pros…

STUDY QUESTION: Can we derive adequate models to predict the probability of conception among couples actively trying to conceive? SUMMARY ANSWER: Leveraging data collected from female participants in a North American preconception cohort s…

BACKGROUND: Refusal to participate in studies related to sexual health can compromise the internal and external validity of findings. Research examining non-response to sexual health studies has primarily focused on predictors such as speci…

BACKGROUND: Migraine is common among females of reproductive age (estimated prevalence:17-24%) and may be associated with reproductive health through underlying central nervous system excitability, autoimmune conditions, and autonomic dysfu…

PURPOSE: To prospectively examine the association between time-to-pregnancy (TTP) and postpartum depression (PPD) and determine whether perceived stress during early pregnancy mediated this association. METHODS: In Pregnancy Study Online, …

STUDY QUESTION: To what extent is female preconception antibiotic use associated with fecundability? SUMMARY ANSWER: Preconception antibiotic use overall was not appreciably associated with fecundability. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Antibiotic…

BACKGROUND: Phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are widely present in consumer products. In the United States, Black women are more highly exposed to phthalates than other racial/ethnic groups, yet information on predictors o…