بررسی اثر آفت‌کش‌ها بر باروری کشاورزان در استان فارس

Background: The main aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence of fecundity and other reproductive problems among a group of farmers in Kavar district of Fars province, southern Iran. Methods: A total of 268 randomly selected married male farm workers were investigated. A questionnaire was devised and validated (Cronbach’s α-coefficient (0.81)). Subjects were directly interviewed and the questionnaire forms were completed for them. The prevalence of current primary infertility among the studied population was about 7.4%. In addition, the delayed time-to-pregnancy index (TTP) was noted in 19.4% of subjects’ spouses. Similarly, 6.3% of farm workers had offsprings with congenital malformations. Finally, 1.5% and 9% of farmers’ wives had a history of stillbirth and abortion, respectively. Results: It was concluded that the prevalence of current primary infertility and spontaneous abortion were significantly higher among farm workers families than in the normal population. Additionally, stillbirth was more common in the wives of farm workers than in the normal population, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: These effects are likely to be attributed to the exposure of farm workers to pesticides.