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. 2024 Sep 1:356:124281.
doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124281. Epub 2024 Jun 1.

Evaluating associations of bisphenol and phthalate exposure with time to pregnancy and subfecundity in a New York City pregnancy cohort

Mia Charifson  1 , Eunsil Seok  2 , Yuyan Wang  2 , Shilpi S Mehta-Lee  3 , Rachel Gordon  4 , Mengling Liu  2 , Leonardo Trasande  5 , Linda G Kahn  5
Affiliations

Evaluating associations of bisphenol and phthalate exposure with time to pregnancy and subfecundity in a New York City pregnancy cohort

Mia Charifson et al. Environ Pollut. .

Abstract

It is important to understand the impact of consumer chemical exposure and fecundity, a couple's measure of probability of successful conception, given approximately 15% of couples experience infertility. Prior research has generally found null associations between bisphenol and phthalate exposure and fecundability, measured via time to pregnancy (TTP). However, this research has not been updated with current chemical exposures and have often lacked diversity in their study populations. We evaluated the associations between common bisphenol and phthalate chemical exposure groups and TTP as well as subfecundity (TTP>12 months) in the New York University Children's Health Study, a diverse pregnancy cohort from 2016 onward. Using first-trimester spot-urine samples to measure chemical exposure and self-reported TTP from first-trimester questionnaires, we observed a significant adverse association between total bisphenol exposure and certain phthalate groups on TTP and odds of subfecundity. Furthermore, in a mixtures analysis to explore the joint effects of the chemical groups on the outcomes, we found evidence of a potential interaction between total bisphenol exposure and low-molecular weight phthalates on TTP. Future research should continue to update our knowledge regarding the complex and potentially interacting effects of these chemicals on reproductive health.

Keywords: Bisphenols; Consumer chemicals; Fecundability; Fertility; Phthalates; Subfecundity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Mia Charifson reports financial support was provided by National Science Foundation. Mengling Liu reports financial support was provided by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Eunsil Seok reports financial support was provided by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Yuyan Wang reports financial support was provided by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Leonardo Trasande reports financial support was provided by National Institutes of HealthOffice of the Director. Linda Kahn reports financial support was provided by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Sample Size Flowchart The study population includes patients enrolled in the New York University Children’s Health and Environment Study between July 2017 and October 2022. Data loss occurred when participants were missing outcome data, first trimester urine or had not had their first trimester urine sample yet analyzed for bisphenols and phthalate concentrations. Participants were also excluded if they conceived via assisted reproductive technologies.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Association between single-pollutant groups and time to pregnancy (left) and subfecundity (right) Effect estimates for (a) time to pregnancy and (b) subfecundity and their 95% confidence intervals are visualized on each graph. The ratio indicated on the y-axis represents the effect of the quartile of chemical exposure of interest (Q1 [lowest], Q2, Q3, or Q4 [highest]) versus the reference quartile on the outcome. The color indicates the exposure group specified in the legend.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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