Environmental Contaminants Affecting Fertility and Somatic Health

Abstract

This review article summarizes the epidemiological findings published between 2011 and 2016 concerning bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, dioxins, pesticides, air pollution, fracking chemicals, triclosan, and parabens and fertility parameters in men (i.e., semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility, and sperm morphology) as well as fertility parameters in women (i.e., cyclicity, fertility treatment outcomes), pregnancy outcomes (i.e., preterm birth,miscarriage), and reproductive disorders (i.e., polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids). Overall, this review indicates that several environmental toxicants are significantly associated with reduced fertility parameters in men and women as well as several reproductive disorders in women. Although many studies reported that the selected exposures are associated with adverse fertility outcomes, several studies reported null associations. Thus, future studies are still needed to better elucidate the associations and potential mechanisms between these environmental chemicals and fertility outcomes in men and women.

The Impact of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals on Female Fertility

“…Phthalates are a group of chemicals currently used in medications, construction materials, cosmetics, and plastic toys, exposure to them occurring through dermal contact, inhalation, and ingestion [22].…”

“…New evidence state that high urinary levels of DEHP metabolites are also related to a diminished probability of clinical pregnancy and live birth after in vitro fertilization, along with a decreased antral follicle count (AFC), especially among women younger than 37 years [18,22,26].…”

Association between Female Reproductive Health and Mancozeb: Systematic Review of Experimental Models

“…Among environmental pollutants an important role is played by persistent organic pollutants (POPs), whose application can cause adverse health effects in animal models and humans [15][16][17]. Different types of POPs are widely used in agriculture, and present a very strong persistence, especially on leaves, with bioaccumulation in the food web [15,16].…”

“…Among environmental pollutants an important role is played by persistent organic pollutants (POPs), whose application can cause adverse health effects in animal models and humans [15][16][17]. Different types of POPs are widely used in agriculture, and present a very strong persistence, especially on leaves, with bioaccumulation in the food web [15,16]. Pesticides act as endocrine disruptor chemicals, possibly leading to low fecundability, miscarriage, preeclampsia, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and alterations in the menstrual cycle [15,16,18].…”

“…Different types of POPs are widely used in agriculture, and present a very strong persistence, especially on leaves, with bioaccumulation in the food web [15,16]. Pesticides act as endocrine disruptor chemicals, possibly leading to low fecundability, miscarriage, preeclampsia, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and alterations in the menstrual cycle [15,16,18]. Thus, pesticides may negatively affect female reproductive competence both in adulthood and during embryonic development [19,20].…”