Social
Association of social and partner support with fecundability Molly N. Hoffman* Molly Hoffman Collette N. Ncube Sharonda M. Lovett Julia C. Bond Renée Boynton-Jarrett Lauren A. Wise
Background: Social connection is a key determinant of health and a priority area for the U.S. Surgeon General.
Methods: We used data from Pregnancy Study Online, a North American preconception cohort study (N=6,866). Eligible female participants completed a supplemental questionnaire (SQ) on psychosocial factors at baseline. We assessed past-year social support with an adapted 8-item version of the Berkman-Syme Social Network Index (SNI) and fecundability (per-cycle probability of conception) from bimonthly follow-up questionnaires. Summed SNI scores were categorized as <5 (socially isolated) and ≥5 (socially integrated). We assessed past-year partner support using 2 questions: “To what extent could you count on your partner to provide you with emotional support?”; “To what extent did your partner show you love and affection?” (response options: never, rarely, some of the time, most of the time, all the time). We used proportional probabilities regression to estimate fecundability ratios (FR) and 95% CIs, adjusted for age and history of infertility or miscarriage and weighted by the inverse probability of SQ completion.
Results: Social integration was common (93%) and associated with fecundability (FR 1.52; CI 1.32-1.74). Most participants reported “all the time” to questions about partner emotional support (53%) or love and affection (61%). Relative to those with no partner emotional support, fecundability was higher for those with support rarely (1.45; CI 1.07-1.95), some of the time (1.27; CI 1.03-1.56), most of the time (1.50; CI 1.25-1.79), and all the time (1.57; CI 1.32-1.87). Relative to those with no partner love and affection, fecundability was higher for those with partner love and affection rarely (1.09; 95% CI 0.63-1.89), some of the time (1.23; CI 0.90-1.68), most of the time (1.42; CI 1.06-1.90), and all the time (1.50; CI 1.12-1.99).
Conclusions: Social integration and partner emotional support and affection may have positive effects on fecundability.
