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Maternal BPA levels affect sex-specific weight, gestational length
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Higher first-trimester maternal levels of unconjugated bisphenol A appear to be associated with reduced sex-specific birthweight, and higher levels of maternal term unconjugated bisphenol A are linked to increased gestational length, according to recent study findings.
In the longitudinal study, Vasantha Padamanabhan, PhD, of the University of Michigan, and colleagues evaluated 80 pregnant women to determine the relationship between prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and birth and gestational outcomes.
The researchers collected blood samples during pregnancy weeks 8 to 14 and also took samples of maternal and umbilical cord blood at delivery. A round robin study funded by the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences validated the uniformity of BPA measurements across several laboratories. The researchers used multiple linear regression analysis to assess the effect of unconjugated BPA on birth weight, maternal changes in BMI and gestational length with adjustments for possible confounding factors with and without stratification by sex of the newborns.
The researchers found that maternal term samples had the highest levels of unconjugated BPA followed by first-trimester samples and umbilical cord blood samples.
Analyses in which male and female pregnancies were combined revealed a 55-g lower birth weight associated with a 2-fold increase in first-trimester unconjugated BPA, and sex-stratified analysis revealed a 183-g lower birth weight associated with only girls.
Increased gestational duration of 0.7 days was associated with a 2-fold increase in maternal term unconjugated BPA for all pregnancies while the stratified analysis found a 1.1-day increase in gestational duration for girls only with each 2-fold increase in maternal term unconjugated BPA.
“Considering that lower birth weight has been correlated with adult disease outcomes, the association of lower birth weight with higher [first-trimester unconjugated BPA] is of concern,” the researchers wrote. They added that the current findings underscore the need to further assess the risks of maternal BPA exposure. – by Jennifer Byrne
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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