Table 5.
Observational studies of plasticizers and fertility-related problems
| Participants/subjects and research design | Patients | Patient parameters | Outcomes/main conclusion of the study | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investigate the role of BPA in the pathogenesis of PCOS and other metabolic parameters | 112 girls with PCOS and 61 controls | Serum BPA and oral glucose tolerance test | Adolescents with PCOS presented higher BPA concentrations than controls and there was a significant relation with androgen levels | [45] |
| To investigate possible associations between reproductive hormone levels among woman exposed to BPA | 106 women exposed and 250 unexposed | Blood samples to analyze: FSH, LH, E2, PRL and PROG; Urine samples for BPA measurement | Evidence of disruptive activity of BPA on women's hormone homeostasis were found | [51] |
| Evaluate serum levels of BPA in exposed women with PCOS and hormonal and metabolic effects | 62 women with PCOS and 62 healthy women | Serum samples to analyze BPA; Fasting blood; Triglyceride; Cholesterol HDL and LDL; TSH concentration and LH:FSH ratio | BPA levels were higher in BPA exposed PCOS women than the group of healthy women. Major differences in the other metabolic parameters | [44] |
| Search the presence of eight phthalate metabolites on women attending an infertility clinic and its possible correlations | 112 women | Urine samples per cycle to measure 11 urinary phthalate metabolites | DEHP and DiDP concentrations were inversely associated with oocyte yield and number of matured oocytes at retrieval; DiNP and DiDP were associated with reduced fertilization; DEHP metabolites were negatively associated with probable clinical pregnancy and live birth following IVF | [52] |
| Study the concentrations of 8 phthalate metabolites | 112 women attending an infertility clinic | Follicular fluid and urine samples | Most of the studied phthalates were highly detected in the ovarian follicular fluid of women undergoing IVF despite in lower doses than those shown to induce ovarian toxicity in animal studies | [53] |
BPA Bisfenol A, PCOS Polycystic ovary syndrome, FSH Follicle-stimulating hormone, LH Luteinizing hormone, E2 17β-Estradiol, PRL Prolactin, PROG Progesterone, TSH Thyroid stimulating hormone, DEHP Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate DiDP Di-isodecyl phthalate, DiNP Di-isononyl phthalate, IVF in vitro fertilization