A follow-up study of male exposure to welding and time to pregnancy.

The aim of this study was to estimate whether male welding has an impact on couple fecundability (the probability of conceiving in a menstrual cycle). A sample of Danish couples without previous reproductive experience was recruited nationwide by postal letters to members of the union of metal workers and three other trade unions. Among 430 included couples, 201 males were metal workers and 130 were welders. The couples were followed for a maximum of six menstrual cycles from termination of birth control until a clinical pregnancy was detected. Compared with nonwelding metal workers the fecundability odds ratio (OR) of male exposure to welding was 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.58-1.28). An interaction between male smoking and welding was found; within smokers the OR for welding was 0.40 (95% CI 0.17-0.95) and within nonsmokers it was 1.22 (95% CI 0.74-1.99). Previous welding exposure was negatively related to fecundability among smokers (OR 0.84 per year with mild steel welding, OR 0.76 per year with stainless steel welding). No significant results were found when comparing with an external group of nonmetal workers. Decreased fecundability among smoking welders attributable to both current and previous welding exposure is possible, but these findings were the results of subanalyses that were not part of the a priori hypothesis.