The Effects of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Women's Reproductive Health

Presenter: Claire Schwartz

Faculty Sponsor: Carrie Johnson Nobles

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Public Health and Epidemiology

Session: Poster Session 5, 3:15 PM - 4:00 PM, Concourse, B9

ABSTRACT

Environmental pollutants have posed a great threat to public health for decades as levels of toxic chemicals have been found higher than documented in the past. One of important mention are Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). There's concern for how exposure to these semi-volatile organic structures may play a negative role in women’s reproductive outcomes. A prospective cohort study (EAGeR) enrolled 1,228 women trying to conceive between 2007 and 2011. PAHs such as 2-hydroxynaphthalene (2-OHNAP), 2-hydroxyphenanthrene (2-OHPHE), and 1- and 9-hydroxyphenanthrene (1,9-OHPHE), were measured in urine at ovulation among a subset 280 women in the first menstrual cycle of follow-up. Reproductive hormone metabolite were measured in urine at ovulation, with estrone glucuronide (E1G), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and pregnanediol glucuronide (PdG) being of focus. Generalized linear regression models estimated the relationship between PAHs and reproductive hormones. We observed an association of an increase of 1 ng/mL 2-Napthalene with 3.14 (CI 1.40, 4.90) ng/mL higher estrone-3-glucoronide at ovulation. Additionally, an elevation in E1G was seen with higher 2-Phenanthrene and 1- and 9-Phenanthrene. All three phthalates were associated with higher LH levels, although not significant. We found no clear associations with FSH and PdG. The only PAH that had a statistically significant pronounced effect on the reproductive hormones studied was 2-Napthalene with E1G. It’s hypothesized that this result could be due to PAHs’ ability to act as an endocrine disrupter, with the most mimicable hormone being estrogen. Exposure to 2-Napthalene may more broadly impact women’s reproductive outcomes across the menstrual cycle.