Advanced Reproductive Age and Environmental Health

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Common endocrine altering (EA) environmental contaminants, including bisphenol A (BPA) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), are possible human neurotoxins, immune modulators, reproductive toxicants, or may otherwise interfere with growth and development. Although there have been numerous animal studies, to date there have been no epidemiologic studies investigating the relationship between either BPA or PBDEs with reproductive outcomes such as birth weight, length of gestation, and head circumference. We propose to enroll 200 women of advanced maternal age (AMA) in a prospective pregnancy cohort, and to assemble a repository of maternal biological specimens collected in the antenatal period. Women with the indication of AMA, who are referred to Mount Sinai Medical Center for a routine screening amniocentesis, will be recruited. This unique population will allow us to assess fetal exposure to EA chemicals in the amniotic fluid. The study aims are to: 1) Assemble a repository of biological specimens collected in the antenatal period; 2) Evaluate the correlation between amniotic fluid and maternal urine BPA concentration; and the reproducibility of maternal urine BPA concentration over the course of pregnancy; and 3) Assess the relationships between in utero BPA and PBDE exposure and birth outcomes including birth weight, length of gestation, and head circumference. This project will provide needed preliminary data to gauge the reproductive health risks posed by these agents. Moreover, by comparing BPA concentrations in concurrently collected amniotic fluid and maternal urine, we will be able to evaluate the suitability of maternal urine as a surrogate marker of fetal exposure, while also providing a rigorously collected repository of antenatal specimens that can be drawn upon in future studies. Planned future studies include the interaction between EA chemicals and concurrent intra-amniotic cytokine concentrations; the impact of genetic polymorphisms in key metabolizing enzymes on EA chemical body burden; and the association between EA chemical levels and biomarkers of oxidative stress. The investigative team includes experts in reproductive epidemiology and environmental exposure assessment, and the infrastructure to support this study exists in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine. This project will provide needed preliminary data to determine the level of prenatal exposure to 6/sphenol A and polybrominated diphenyl ethers experienced by women of advanced maternal age, and attempt to identify common consumer sources of this exposure and their effect on birth outcomes.