Perfluorinated alkyl acids in the serum and follicular fluid of UK women with and without polycystic ovarian syndrome undergoing fertility treatment and associations with hormonal and metabolic parameters.

Perfluorinated alkyl acids in the serum and follicular fluid of UK women with and without polycystic ovarian syndrome undergoing fertility treatment and associations with hormonal and metabolic parameters. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2018 Jul 20;: Authors: Heffernan AL, Cunningham TK, Drage DS, Aylward LL, Thompson K, Vijayasarathy S, Mueller JF, Atkin SL, Sathyapalan T Abstract Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) undergoing treatment for infertility could be a sensitive subpopulation for endocrine effects of exposure to perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAAs), persistent organic pollutants with potential endocrine activity. Women with, PCOS (n = 30) and age- and BMI-matched controls (n = 29) were recruited from a UK fertility clinic in 2015. Paired serum and follicular fluid samples were collected and analysed for 13 PFAAs. Sex steroid and thyroid hormones, and metabolic markers were measured and assessed for associations with serum PFAAs. Four PFAAs were detected in all serum and follicular fluid samples and concentrations in the two matrices were highly correlated (R2 > 0.95): perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA). Serum PFOS was positively associated with age (1 ng/mL per yr, p < 0.05) and was higher in PCOS cases than controls (geometric mean [GM] 3.9 vs. 3.1 ng/mL, p < 0.05) and in women with irreg...
Source: International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Int J Hyg Environ Health Source Type: research