Impact of Environmental Factors on Reproductive Health

A special issue of Reproductive Medicine (ISSN 2673-3897).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 715

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Laboratory of Comparative Endocrinology (EClab), Department of Biology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80126 Naples, Italy
2. Interdepartmental Research Center for Environment, IRCEnv (C.I.R.AM.), University of Naples “Federico II”, 80134 Naples, Italy
Interests: climate change and reprotoxicity; antioxidative physiological defense; steroids and steroid receptors; antioxidants under steroid control; reproductive health assessment; endangered species and validation of non-destructive examination methods; biodiversity conservation microassay
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental exposures play a critical role in reproductive health across the lifespan, influencing fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive aging in both women and men. Increasing evidence links environmental factors—including endocrine-disrupting chemicals, air pollution, heavy metals, pesticides, and lifestyle-related exposures—to altered reproductive hormone regulation, gametogenesis, implantation, and fetal development. These effects raise significant concerns for infertility, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and long-term offspring health.

This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in understanding the impact of environmental factors on reproductive health, with an emphasis on mechanisms, biomarkers, and clinical implications. We welcome original research and review articles addressing environmental influences on female and male reproductive function, reproductive endocrinology, assisted reproductive technologies, pregnancy and perinatal health, and reproductive aging. Studies integrating epidemiology, molecular and cellular biology, toxicology, and clinical research are particularly encouraged.

By highlighting emerging evidence and diagnostic approaches, this Special Issue aims to advance knowledge that supports risk assessment, early detection, and preventive strategies in reproductive medicine.

Prof. Dr. Giulia Guerriero
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Reproductive Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental exposures
  • endocrine-disrupting chemicals
  • air pollution
  • heavy metals
  • pesticides
  • reproductive health

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 816 KB  
Article
Bushfire Smoke Exposure, Asthma and Pregnancy: The Smoke Is Yet to Clear
by Bridie Mulholland, Isabella Conomos, Alice Harper, Lucy Pollock, Sarah Sowry and Pierre Hofstee
Reprod. Med. 2026, 7(2), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/reprodmed7020021 - 29 Apr 2026
Viewed by 375
Abstract
Background: Bushfire smoke exposure (BFSE) is associated with adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes; however, the specific impact of BFSE on pregnancies complicated by asthma is not well characterised. Methods: A retrospective cohort study analysed data from 22,166 pregnant women who gave birth in [...] Read more.
Background: Bushfire smoke exposure (BFSE) is associated with adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes; however, the specific impact of BFSE on pregnancies complicated by asthma is not well characterised. Methods: A retrospective cohort study analysed data from 22,166 pregnant women who gave birth in the Illawarra Shoalhaven region between January 2017 and December 2022. Women with asthma were identified by the ICD-10-AM code for asthma during hospital admission for birth. Exposure was defined using a fixed time-window assumption. Women were considered exposed to bushfire smoke if they experienced at least 4 weeks of their pregnancy between 25 October 2019 and 4 February 2020. Results: Prevalence of asthma in the total population was 8.31%. In the control cohort, outcomes for pregnant women with asthma were poorer than those without. Pregnant women with BFSE had increased odds of postpartum haemorrhage (OR 1.603; 95% CI 1.42–1.81), and decreased odds of gestational hypertension (OR 0.615; 95% CI 0.49–0.77), gestational diabetes mellitus (OR 0.703; 95% CI 0.63–0.79) and preterm birth (OR 0.813; 95% CI 0.67–0.98). Maternal asthma did not confound the relationship between BFSE and any of the primary study outcomes. Conclusions: This study emphasises the independent effects of asthma on pregnancy outcomes. The impact of BFSE on pregnant women with asthma remains unclear. Further research is needed to characterise the true effect of BFSE on pregnancies, uncomplicated and complicated by asthma. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Environmental Factors on Reproductive Health)
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