STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Women who are trying to become pregnant should look after their oral health, a fertility expert announced at the 2011 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in Stockholm earlier this week. According to the preliminary research presented, gum disease can potentially lengthen the time it takes a woman to become pregnant by an average of two months.

“Our data suggest that the presence of periodontal disease is a modifiable risk factor, which can increase a woman’s time to conception, particularly for non-Caucasians,” Roger Hart, Professor of Reproductive Medicine at the University of Western Australia and Medical Director of Fertility Specialists of Western Australia, said. “It exerts a negative influence on fertility that is of the same order of magnitude as obesity.”

In their study, Hart and colleagues analysed data from over 3,400 pregnant women from Western Australia. They found that women with gum disease took two months longer on average to conceive than women without gum disease (seven months instead of five). Non-Caucasian women appeared to be the group most affected. They were likely to take more than 12 months to become pregnant if they had gum disease.

“All women about to plan for a family should be encouraged to see their general practitioner to ensure that they are as healthy as possible before trying to conceive,” Hart recommends. “Additionally, it now appears that all women should also be encouraged to see their dentist to have any gum disease treated before trying to conceive.”

In addition, the study confirmed other known negative influences on a woman’s time to conception, such as being over 35 years of age, being overweight or obese, and being a smoker. It also demonstrated conclusively that while treatment of periodontal disease does not prevent pre-term birth in any ethnic group, the treatment does not have any harmful effect on the mother or foetus during pregnancy.