The Impact of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals on Female Fertility

Aida Petca,Mihai Cristian Dumitrascu,Razvan-Cosmin Petca,Claudia Mehedintu,Madalina Sighencea,Patricia Delia Farcasanu,Nicoleta Maru,Florica Sandru

doi:10.37358/rc.20.6.8194

Abstract

Nowadays, infertility is a prevalent problem among couples. Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may influence the female reproductive outcomes through multiple mechanisms, being one of the important causes of infertility. These compounds may interfere with some fertility and fecundity markers, leading to increased time to pregnancy, increased risk of spontaneous abortion, shorter menstrual cycles, early age at menopause, anovulation or delayed ovulation, smaller preovulatory follicles, increased serum FSH, decreased synthesis of estradiol and progesterone, low plasma levels of anti-Mullerian hormone and decreased antral follicle count. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals may also impair in vitro fertilization outcomes, being responsible for: a lower probability of implantation, reduced fertilization rates, diminished probability of clinical pregnancy, and near term pregnancies after in vitro fertilization. Another mechanism of altering the female reproductive function is through the disorders induced by EDCs, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine fibroids, and endometriosis. Those conditions may finally lead to infertility.

Highlights

The failure to obtain a clinical pregnancy after one year of regular and unprotected heterosexual intercourse defines infertility [1-3]
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous agents that interfere with the normal synthesis, secretion, transportation, binding, and metabolism of natural hormones [4-7]
There are findings regarding the impact of some endocrine disruptors in the occurrence of endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and polycystic ovary syndrome, disorders which can lead to infertility [13-16]

Summary

Introduction

The failure to obtain a clinical pregnancy after one year of regular and unprotected heterosexual intercourse defines infertility [1-3]. New evidence state that high urinary levels of DEHP metabolites are 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]. Studying the liaison between the urinary levels of bisphenol A and the reproductive outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments, it is evident the protective effect of folate intake from food sources.

Results

Conclusion