ABSTRACT
Both female and male fertility is highly susceptible to environmental cues, many of which can have substantial negative effects on reproductive performance. Lifestyle factors such as maternal and paternal age, alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, and the use of illicit drugs can all inuence the ability to conceive. In addition, increased body mass index (BMI) can also signicantly affect fertility, which is of particular concern because of the signicant increase in obesity worldwide (the World Health Organization [WHO] estimates that by 2015 there will be 1.5 billion people in the world who are obese [1]).
