Systematic reviews and meta‐analyses are essential for drawing conclusions regarding
etiologic associations between exposures or interventions and health outcomes …

Prospective and retrospective cohorts and case-control studies are some of the most
important study designs in epidemiology because, under certain assumptions, they can …

The majority of research within reproductive and gynecologic health, or investigating ART, is
observational in design. One of the most critical challenges for observational studies is …

Introduction and objective Systematic review tools that provide guidance on evaluating
epidemiology studies are receiving increasing attention and support because their …

Background Preconception exposures have been associated with adverse pregnancy, birth
and postpartum outcomes. However, the reports, statements and guidelines of national and …

Objectives To develop a framework for the assessment of the risk of bias and confounding
against causality from a body of observational evidence, and to refine a tool to aid in …

Abstract Purpose of Review Human reproduction is a common process and one that unfolds
over a relatively short time, but pregnancy and birth processes are challenging to study …

Systematic reviews of observational studies of aetiology are especially important. Studies of
this type tend to be limited in size and thus by examining multiple similar studies …

The cross-sectional study design is sometimes avoided by researchers or considered an
undesired methodology. Possible reasons include incomplete understanding of the …

The causal inference framework and related methods have emerged as vital within
epidemiology. Scientists in many fields have found that this framework and a variety of …