Perfluoroalkyl substances and ovarian hormone concentrations in naturally cycling women

Abstract

Objective To examine associations between environmental exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and ovarian hormone concentrations in naturally cycling women. Design Estradiol and progesterone were measured in saliva samples collected daily for a single menstrual cycle and concentrations of PFASs (including perfluoroctane sulfonate [PFOS] and perfluoroctanoic acid [PFOA]) were measured in serum samples collected during the same cycle. Setting Tromsø, Norway. Patients 178 healthy, naturally cycling women, ages 25-35. Intervention None. Main outcome measures(s) Mean follicular estradiol (cycle days −7 to −1, where 0 is the day of ovulation); mean luteal progesterone (cycle days +2 to 10). Results Among nulliparous, but not parous women, PFOS concentrations were inversely associated with estradiol (β=−0.025, 95% CI: −0.043, −0.007) and progesterone (β=−0.027, 95% CI: −0.048, −0.007). Similar, but weaker results were observed for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOSA). No associations were observed between other PFASs (including PFOA) and ovarian steroid concentrations, nor were any associations noted in parous women. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that PFOS and PFOSA may be associated with decreased production of estradiol and progesterone in reproductive age women. These results suggest a possible mechanism by which PFASs affect women's health, and underscore the importance of parity in research on PFASs and women's reproductive health.

The Association of Prenatal Exposure to Perfluorinated Chemicals with Glucocorticoid and Androgenic Hormones in Cord Blood Samples: The Hokkaido Study

“…PFOS can inhibit the secretion of progesterone in a concentration-dependent manner in human placental syncytiotrophoblasts (Zhang et al 2015). Barrett et al (2015) reported a negative association between serum PFOS exposure (but not PFOA) and saliva progesterone levels in healthy nulliparous women 25–35 years of age. In addition, we reported that prenatal exposure to PFOS was inversely associated with progesterone levels in cord blood of male and female infants in the same cohort.…”

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and measures of human fertility: a systematic review

“…In nulliparous women Barrett et al (2015) found that higher PFOS and to some extent PFOSA were associated with lower levels of estradiol and progesterone. PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnA and PFHxS were not clearly associated with either hormone, and the associations in parous women were inconsistent.…”

“…For semen volume, total sperm count and sperm concentration, none of the studies found consistent associations with exposure to any PFASs (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFHpS, PFNA, PFDA, PFOSA, Et-PFOSA-AcOH, Me-PFOSA-AcOH), and there were no tendencies for the estimates to point in the same direction (Joensen et al 2009;Raymer et al 2012;Toft et al 2012;Joensen et al 2013; Barrett et al 2015;Buck Louis et al 2015;Den Hond et al 2015) (see Table 3). PFOA exposure was associated with a higher percentage of motile sperm in the study by Toft et al (2012).…”

“…One of the studies included both adolescents (12-18 years old) and adults (Tsai et al 2015). These authors assessed the association between levels of PFASs and salivary estradiol and progesterone (Barrett et al 2015) or serum testosterone (Lewis et al 2015), estradiol, FSH, LH and SHBG (Tsai et al 2015). Fei et al (2009) found approximately 30% lower fecundability in women in the three highest PFOS quartiles compared to the lowest quartile (Table 5).…”

“…Overall, the evidence from rodent studies to some extent supports an association between PFAS exposure and impaired fertility, however, the mechanisms behind potential reproductive effects of PFASs are not well established. In both males and females, endocrine disruption may be a possible mechanism as suggested in animal studies, but the current evidence from human in vivo studies is very limited (Barrett et al 2015;Lewis et al 2015;Tsai et al 2015). In adult rats, Ló pez-Doval et al (2014) demonstrated that PFOS had several potential effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis, including both gonadotropin releasing hormone, LH, FSH and testosterone.…”