AUTHOR=Bayoumi Rasha , Riad Joy , Pillai Sannidhi , Lawrenz Barbara , Fatemi Human 

TITLE=Reduced ovarian reserve among female offspring of consanguineous marriages in the Middle East—a mini review

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Reproductive Health

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/reproductive-health/articles/10.3389/frph.2025.1602090

DOI=10.3389/frph.2025.1602090

ISSN=2673-3153

ABSTRACT=BackgroundConsanguineous marriages remain prevalent in many regions of the world, particularly within the Middle East, where reported prevalence exceeds 50% in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Despite evidence that consanguineous marriages increase genetic risks through increased levels of homozygosity, which might lead to gene dysfunction, their impact on female fertility remains unclear. Although the data is limited and inconsistent, female offspring of consanguineous marriages appear to have a higher risk of reduced ovarian reserve compared to their peers from non-consanguineous marriages, with a more pronounced effect in young women.AimThis mini review synthesizes current evidence on the relationship between parental consanguinity and ovarian reserve in female offspring to clarify existing findings and highlight research gaps.MethodsA systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science was conducted up to March 2024 in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Studies evaluating ovarian reserve markers, including Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) and Antral Follicle Count (AFC), in women with and without parental consanguinity were included. This review was registered with PROSPERO (Registration ID: CRD42022300162).ResultsThree studies (n = 2,903) from Kuwait, the UAE, and Oman met the inclusion criteria. Two reported significantly lower AMH and AFC levels among women aged ≤35 years with parental consanguinity, whereas one found no significant association between parental consanguinity and ovarian reserve markers.DiscussionThe current findings suggest that parental consanguinity may contribute to reduced ovarian reserve in female offspring; however, the data are not consistent. Differences in study design and degree of consanguinity may explain these inconsistencies. This review could be used to raise awareness about the potential influence of parental consanguinity on the reproductive health of their family's offspring, to encourage early counselling and proactive fertility assessment. The results present a call to action, highlighting the need for further research on this issue within the Middle East region, where consanguinity is highly prevalent.
Systemic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42022300162, PROSPERO CRD42022300162.