Association between formaldehyde exposure and miscarriage in Chinese women

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess whether higher plasma formaldehyde concentration existed in women diagnosed with miscarriage and whether it contributed to higher risk of miscarriage in Chinese women.A case-control study was conducted in 118 women with a diagnosed miscarriage at the first trimester and 191 healthy women who delivered at term. Plasma levels of formaldehyde were measured by gas chromatography in conjunction with mass spectrometry after derivatization of the formaldehyde to the pentafluorophenylhydrazone and characteristics of the subjects including age, education level, occupation, family income, home decoration status, and exposure to second-hand smoke were recorded. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the relationship between miscarriage and levels of formaldehyde.Women with miscarriage were comparable to controls in terms of age, education level, occupation, family income, and home decoration status. They were, however, more likely to be exposed to second-hand smoke. Plasma levels of formaldehyde were significantly higher in women with miscarriage (0.0944 ± 0.0105 vs. 0.0239 ± 0.0032 μg/mL, P < .001). Multivariate logistic regression showed that higher level of formaldehyde (odds ratio [OR]: 8.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.96–13.09) and exposure to second-hand smoke (OR: 3.60, 95% CI: 1.58–8.20) were independently and significantly associated with higher risk of miscarriage.Plasma levels of formaldehyde were significantly higher in women who were diagnosed with miscarriage than those who delivered at term and higher levels of formaldehyde was an independent risk factor for miscarriage, with higher levels being associated with higher risk of miscarriage.

The cellular function and molecular mechanism of formaldehyde in cardiovascular disease and heart development

“…As mentioned above, in the I/R injury model, the different efficacy of drugs to inhibit formaldehyde in male and female may provide a new strategy for clinical treatment with different genders 42,43 . In addition, an increase in formaldehyde concentration in the air may lead to an increase in CHD, 72 supporting the correlation between formaldehyde and heart development. Therefore, the detection of formaldehyde concentration in the air and pregnant women's plasma provide a reliable potential indicator for the timely diagnosis of abnormal foetal heart development.…”

“…A case‐control study in China found that 118 women diagnosed with miscarriage had significantly higher levels of formaldehyde in their plasma than 191 women who delivered at term 72 . Notably, the increase in plasma levels of formaldehyde served as a miscarriage‐independent risk factor and the increased formaldehyde content also increased the risk of miscarriage.…”

Comparison of mifepristone plus misoprostol with misoprostol alone for first trimester medical abortion: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…A significant number of pregnant women appear to visit health facilities for emergency management of induced abortion (2). While those women with unwanted pregnancy and having an intention to stop at early weeks of gestation is one inevitable characteristic of this group, attendance following an intrauterine foetal death or viability failure, due to various causes, is frequently mentioned (3)(4)(5). Numerous studies indicate that using medications, especially mifepristone and misoprostol, is preferred over aspiration or curettage interventions for terminating a first trimester pregnancy (6,7) or evacuating an early pregnancy failure (8).…”

Comparison of Mifepristone plus Misoprostol with Misoprostol Alone for First Trimester Medical Abortion: A Systematic Review &amp; Meta -Analysis Protocol

“…Whereas, those women with unwanted pregnancy and having an intention to stop at early weeks of gestation are one inevitable aspect of this group, attendance following an intrauterine fetal death or viability failure, due to various causes, is frequently mentioned [3][4][5].This review will consider articles which included pregnant women up to 12 weeks of gestation.…”