Maternal Pregnancy Hormone Concentrations in Countries with Very Low and High Breast Cancer Risk

Davaasambuu Ganmaa, Davaasambuu Enkhmaa, Tsedmaa Baatar, Buyanjargal Uyanga, Garmaa Gantsetseg, Thomas T. Helde, Thomas F. McElrath, David E. Cantonwine, Gary Bradwin, Roni T. Falk, Robert N. Hoover and Rebecca Troisi
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Davaasambuu Ganmaa: Channing Division Network of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Davaasambuu Enkhmaa: Maternal and Child Health Research Center, Ulaanbaatar 16060, Mongolia
Tsedmaa Baatar: Maternal and Child Health Research Center, Ulaanbaatar 16060, Mongolia
Buyanjargal Uyanga: Mongolian Health Initiative, Ulaanbaatar 13312, Mongolia
Garmaa Gantsetseg: Mongolian Health Initiative, Ulaanbaatar 13312, Mongolia
Thomas T. Helde: Information Management Services, Inc., Rockville, MD 20850, USA
Thomas F. McElrath: Harvard Medical School, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
David E. Cantonwine: Harvard Medical School, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Gary Bradwin: Clinical and Epidemiologic Research Laboratory, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Roni T. Falk: Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program, Division of Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
Robert N. Hoover: Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program, Division of Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
Rebecca Troisi: Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program, Division of Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20850, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-11

Abstract: Background: Breast cancer rates in Asia are much lower than in Europe and North America. Within Asia, rates are lower in Mongolia than in neighboring countries. Variation in pregnancy exposure to endogenous hormone concentrations may explain the differences, but data are lacking. Methods: We measured maternal serum progesterone, prolactin, estradiol and estrone concentrations in the second half of pregnancy in a cross-sectional study of urban ( n = 143–194 depending on the analyte) and rural ( n = 150–193) Mongolian women, and U.S. women from Boston ( n = 66–204). Medical records provided information on maternal and perinatal factors. Geometric mean hormones were estimated from standard linear models with the log-hormone as the dependent variable and country as the independent variable adjusted for maternal and gestational age at blood draw. Results: Mean concentrations of prolactin (5722 vs. 4648 uIU/mL; p < 0.0001) and estradiol (17.7 vs. 13.6 ng/mL; p < 0.0001) were greater in Mongolian than U.S. women, while progesterone (147 vs. 201 ng/mL; p < 0.0001) was lower. Mean hormone concentrations were similar in rural and urban Mongolian women. Results were generally similar, with additional adjustment for gravidity, parity, height, body mass index at blood draw, education and alcohol use during pregnancy, and when stratified by offspring sex or parity. Conclusions: Mongolian women had greater concentrations of prolactin and estrogen and lower concentrations of progesterone than U.S. women, while hormone concentrations were similar in rural and urban Mongolian pregnancies. Impact: These data do not support the hypothesis that estrogen concentrations in pregnant women are lower in Mongolian compared with Caucasian women.

Keywords: pregnancy; hormones; early life; breast cancer; estrogen (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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