Environmental Contaminants And Female Fecundity

该项目的目的是评估多氯联苯和杀虫剂对女性生殖力和生育力的影响。该项目是题为“纽约州垂钓者队列研究”（H75/ATH 298328）的更大研究的一部分，其目的是描述各种环境污染物的暴露情况，并确定居住在纽约州五大湖盆地的垂钓者家庭队列中的人类健康是否受到不利影响。具体来说，102名计划停止避孕怀孕的妇女被随访了12个有风险的月经周期。所有女性都完成了基线访谈，90人提供了血液样本。指导妇女使用家庭怀孕工具包，并完成每日日记，用于记录月经、性交、妊娠试验结果和选择行为（即，吸烟、咖啡因和酒精消耗、维生素使用和鱼类消耗）。对于妊娠导致活产的女性，在妊娠时和分娩后从女性中采集额外的血液标本。采用电子捕获气相色谱法对66种多氯联苯同系物和7种农药的血液样品进行了毒理学分析。目前正在进行数据分析，以确定以怀孕时间衡量的雌性生殖力是否受到多氯联苯同系物和/或杀虫剂沿着以及其他相关生殖力终点（即，流产、月经和不孕症）。

The purpose of this project is to assess the effect of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides on female fecundity and fertility. This project is a part of a larger study entitled the New York State Angler Cohort Study (H75/ATH298328) whose purpose is to characterize exposures to various environmental contaminants, and to determine whether human health has been adversely affected among a cohort of angler families residing in the Great Lakes Basin of New York State. Specifically, 102 women who were planning to discontinue contraception to become pregnant were followed for 12 at risk menstrual cycles. All women completed baseline interviews and 90 provided blood specimens. Women were instructed in the use of home pregnancy kits and in the completion of daily diaries that were used to record menstruation, sexual intercourse, pregnancy test results, and select behaviors (i.e., cigarette smoking, caffeine and alcohol consumption, vitamin usage, and fish consumption). Additional blood specimens were obtained from women upon becoming pregnant and after delivery for women whose pregnancies resulted in a live birth. Toxicological analysis of blood specimens was conducted using gas chromatography with electron capture for 66 PCB congeners and 7 pesticides. Data analysis is currently underway to determine whether female fecundity, as measured by time-to-pregnancy, is adversely affected by PCB congeners and/or pesticides along with other relevant fecundity endpoints (viz., pregnancy loss, menstruation and infertility).