Associations between Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates and Timing of Menarche and Growth and Adiposity into Adulthood: A Twenty-Years Birth Cohort Study

Ye’elah E. Berman, Dorota A. Doherty, Katharina M. Main, Hanne Frederiksen, Martha Hickey, Jeffrey A. Keelan, John P. Newnham and Roger J. Hart
Additional contact information
Ye’elah E. Berman: Women and Infants Research Foundation, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth 6008, Australia
Dorota A. Doherty: Women and Infants Research Foundation, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth 6008, Australia
Katharina M. Main: Department of Growth and Reproduction, International Centre for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), University of Copenhagen-Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Hanne Frederiksen: Department of Growth and Reproduction, International Centre for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), University of Copenhagen-Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Martha Hickey: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia
Jeffrey A. Keelan: Women and Infants Research Foundation, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth 6008, Australia
John P. Newnham: Women and Infants Research Foundation, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth 6008, Australia
Roger J. Hart: Women and Infants Research Foundation, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth 6008, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 9, 1-20

Abstract: Phthalates are ubiquitous environmental chemicals with endocrine disrupting properties and potentially obesogenic effects. We hypothesised that antenatal phthalate exposure may influence growth and adiposity patterns in girls through childhood into adolescence. Among 1342 Raine Study singleton females, 462 had maternal serum and at least one outcome available up to 20 years of age. Individuals’ maternal serum collected at 18 and 34 weeks gestation was pooled and analyzed for concentrations of 32 metabolites of 15 phthalate diesters. Cox regression and linear models were used to determine associations between maternal phthalate levels and age at menarche, change in height and weight z-scores between birth and two years, height from birth to 20 years, BMI from two to 20 years, deviation from mid-parental height at age 20 and DEXA scan measures at age 20. Weak negative associations were detected with some phthalate metabolites and change in height and weight z-score during infancy. Weak positive associations between some of the high molecular weight phthalate metabolites and height z-score were detected during childhood. While still within the normal range, age at menarche was slightly delayed in girls with higher prenatal exposure to the higher molecular weight phthalate metabolites. We derived some associations between prenatal phthalate exposure with early growth patterns and age at menarche.

Keywords: growth; age at menarche; adiposity; phthalate metabolites; girls; antenatal exposure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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