Table 2 Main advantages and weaknesses of the two control groups
Advantages | Weaknesses | |
|---|---|---|
Control Group A (sperm donators & fertile partners of infertile woman) | - Direct access to the subject (face to face recruitment & blood sampling) | - Older than cases/difficult to recruit subjects below 25 years old |
- More concerned by the topic/good participation rate | - Live with infertile woman/more exposed to reproductive toxicant than general population? | |
- Sperm count available | ||
- Regional recruitment | ||
Control Group B (partners of pregnant woman hospitalized for pathological pregnancy) | - Same age group than cases | - More difficult to approach (visit during evening/week-end) |
- Direct access to the subject (face to face recruitment & blood sampling) | ||
- Presumably fecund | - No available serologies (need to store blood samples in separate areas) | |
- Regional recruitment | - Link between subjects’ exposures partners’ pathological pregnancy? | |
- Large population/easy to match with cases |