ScienceDaily.com reports that at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology Professor Roger Hart stated the gum disease has as much a negative impact on trying to conceive as obesity. As we’ve previously stated, gum disease in pregnant women (or “pregnancy gingivitis”) can result in a premature birth.
Periodontal disease (gum disease) has been linked with many types of illness: respiratory and kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, heart disease. However, this new report says that having gum disease prior to conception may make trying to get pregnant that much more difficult.
Professor Hart is the Professor of Reproductive Medicine at the University of Western Australia in Perth and Medical Director of Fertility Specialists of Western Australia. He stated, “Until now, there have been no published studies that investigate whether gum disease can affect a woman’s chance of conceiving, so this is the first report to suggest that gum disease might be one of several factors that could be modified to improve the chances of pregnancy.”