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Journal Article Ppublish 2 citations

PubMed: 38968832 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108866

Prenatal exposure to environmental phenols and fetal growth across pregnancy in the LIFECODES fetal growth study.

Environ Int 190:108866

Authors: Paige A Bommarito, Danielle R Stevens, Barrett M Welch, John D Meeker, David E Cantonwine, Thomas F McElrath, Kelly K Ferguson

Affiliations

  • Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
  • School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
  • Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
  • Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
  • Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Environmental phenols are endocrine disrupting chemicals hypothesized to affect early life development. Previous research examining the effects of phenols on fetal growth has focused primarily on associations with measures of size at delivery. Few have included ultrasound measures to examine growth across pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE

Investigate associations between prenatal exposure to phenols and ultrasound and delivery measures of fetal growth.

METHODS

Using the LIFECODES Fetal Growth Study (n = 900), a case-cohort including 248 small-for-gestational-age, 240 large-for-gestational age, and 412 appropriate-for-gestational-age births, we estimated prenatal exposure to 12 phenols using three urine samples collected during pregnancy (median 10, 24, and 35 weeks gestation). We abstracted ultrasound and delivery measures of fetal growth from medical records. We estimated associations between pregnancy-average phenol biomarker concentrations and repeated ultrasound measures of fetal growth using linear mixed effects models and associations with birthweight using linear regression models. We also used logistic regression models to estimate associations with having a small- or large-for-gestational birth.

RESULTS

We observed positive associations between 2,4-dichlorophenol, benzophenone-3, and triclosan (TCS) and multiple ultrasound measures of fetal growth. For example, TCS was associated with a 0.09 (95 % CI: 0.01, 0.18) higher estimated fetal weight z-score longitudinally across pregnancy. This effect size corresponds to a 21 g increase in estimated fetal weight at 30 weeks gestation. Associations with delivery measures of growth were attenuated, but TCS remained positively associated with birthweight z-scores (mean difference: 0.13, 95 % CI: 0.02, 0.25). Conversely, methylparaben was associated with higher odds of a small-for-gestational age birth (odds ratio: 1.45, 95 % CI: 1.06, 1.98).

DISCUSSION

We observed associations between some biomarkers of phenol exposure and ultrasound measures of fetal growth, though associations at the time of delivery were attenuated. These findings are consistent with hypotheses that phenols have the potential to affect growth during the prenatal period.

MeSH

Pregnancy, Growth, Phenols, Parturition, Fetal Weight, Gestational Age, Biomarkers, Birth Weight, Environmental Health, Phenol

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