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EDC exposure may lead to early menopause
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Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals could lead to early menopause, which could not only alter quality of life for women, but affect fertility, human reproduction and society as a whole, according to research published in PLoS ONE.
“The study can't prove causation,” Amber Cooper, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri told Endocrine Today. “All we can say is higher levels of these chemicals are associated with earlier menopause ... and we hope this raises awareness for future research.”
Amber Cooper
Cooper and colleagues from other institutions looked at data from 31,575 adult women (mean age, 61 years; 1,442 menopausal) involved in the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2008) who were tested for endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs).
Participants were not pregnant, breastfeeding, using hormonal contraception or taking estrogen-replacement therapies, and none had undergone ovary-removal surgery.
The investigators analyzed blood and urine samples for exposures to 111 EDCs, with a focus on known reproductive toxins and/or toxins with long half-lives that take more than 1 year to break down. EDCs included dioxins/furans; phthalates; phytoestrogens; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); phenolic derivatives; organophosphate pesticides; surfactants; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
“We don't understand exactly how each of these chemicals work, how they work together and how long they truly stay in the body," Cooper said.
The researchers used multilinear regression models, with consideration for complex survey design characteristics and adjustments for age, race/ethnicity, smoking and BMI. Secondary analysis was done to determine whether EDC exposure increased the likelihood women aged 45 to 55 years would become menopausal.
Significant associations were demonstrated between early menopause and nine PCBs, three pesticides, two phthalates and a furan, according to a press release; the mean age of menopause was between 1.9 and 3.8 years earlier in women with high levels of these chemicals vs. low levels.
Further, women exposed to EDCs were up to 6 times more likely to be menopausal than women not exposed, according to researchers.
“The big questions are around what women should be doing, what they should look for, how they should change their lives,” Cooper said. “I don't think we know the answer to that yet.” – by Allegra Tiver
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant disclosures.
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