TY - JOUR
T1 - Prenatal phthalate exposure and sex steroid hormones in newborns
T2 - Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study
AU - TMICS study group
AU - Lu, Chin Li
AU - Wen, Hui Ju
AU - Chen, Mei Lien
AU - Sun, Chien Wen
AU - Hsieh, Chia Jung
AU - Wu, Ming Tsang
AU - Wang, Shu Li
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Lu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
PY - 2024/3
Y1 - 2024/3
N2 - Background Newborn anogenital distance (AGD) has been associated with prenatal exposure of phthalates. The association between prenatal phthalate exposure and sex steroid hormones in newborns is unclear. Object This study aimed to examine whether cord-blood sex hormone levels were associated with prenatal phthalate exposure and newborn anogenital distance (AGD). Methods In the Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study, we recruited 1,676 pregnant women in their third trimester in 2012–2015 in Taiwan. We determined 11 urinary phthalate metabolites in pregnant women, three maternal and five cord-blood steroid sex-hormone concentrations. Five hundred and sixty-five mother-infant pairs with sufficient data were included. Trained neonatologists measured 263 newborns’ AGD. We examined the associations of prenatal phthalate metabolite levels with AGD and hormones using linear regression models and evaluated correlations between maternal and cord-blood sex hormone levels and AGD. Results Compared with the male newborns exposed to maternal phthalate metabolites at the first tertile, AGD was -3.75, -3.43, and -3.53 mm shorter among those exposed at the median tertile of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) metabolites, monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), and monomethyl phthalate (MMP), respectively. Compared with those who had exposed at the first tertile, cord-blood follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) decreased among male newborns exposed at higher levels of MMP, mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), MBzP and DEHP, and among female newborns exposed at higher levels of MMP, MBzP and mono(2-ethyl-5hydroxyhexyl) phthalate. However, we did not observe significant correlations of maternal or cord-blood sex steroid hormones with newborns’ AGDs. Conclusions Alterations in cord-blood sex steroid hormone levels were associated with prenatal phthalate exposures, particularly in male newborns. Women aspiring to be pregnant should be alerted of the need of reducing phthalate exposure.
AB - Background Newborn anogenital distance (AGD) has been associated with prenatal exposure of phthalates. The association between prenatal phthalate exposure and sex steroid hormones in newborns is unclear. Object This study aimed to examine whether cord-blood sex hormone levels were associated with prenatal phthalate exposure and newborn anogenital distance (AGD). Methods In the Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study, we recruited 1,676 pregnant women in their third trimester in 2012–2015 in Taiwan. We determined 11 urinary phthalate metabolites in pregnant women, three maternal and five cord-blood steroid sex-hormone concentrations. Five hundred and sixty-five mother-infant pairs with sufficient data were included. Trained neonatologists measured 263 newborns’ AGD. We examined the associations of prenatal phthalate metabolite levels with AGD and hormones using linear regression models and evaluated correlations between maternal and cord-blood sex hormone levels and AGD. Results Compared with the male newborns exposed to maternal phthalate metabolites at the first tertile, AGD was -3.75, -3.43, and -3.53 mm shorter among those exposed at the median tertile of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) metabolites, monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), and monomethyl phthalate (MMP), respectively. Compared with those who had exposed at the first tertile, cord-blood follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) decreased among male newborns exposed at higher levels of MMP, mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), MBzP and DEHP, and among female newborns exposed at higher levels of MMP, MBzP and mono(2-ethyl-5hydroxyhexyl) phthalate. However, we did not observe significant correlations of maternal or cord-blood sex steroid hormones with newborns’ AGDs. Conclusions Alterations in cord-blood sex steroid hormone levels were associated with prenatal phthalate exposures, particularly in male newborns. Women aspiring to be pregnant should be alerted of the need of reducing phthalate exposure.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85187836210&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0297631
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0297631
M3 - Article
C2 - 38483929
AN - SCOPUS:85187836210
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 19
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
IS - 3 March
M1 - e0297631
ER -