Association between Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Women’s Infertility, NHANES 2013–2016

Yuxuan Tan, Zurui Zeng, Huanzhu Liang, Xueqiong Weng, Huojie Yao, Yingyin Fu, Yexin Li, Jingmin Chen, Xiangcai Wei () and Chunxia Jing ()
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Yuxuan Tan: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Jinan University, No. 601 Huangpu Ave West, Guangzhou 510632, China
Zurui Zeng: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Jinan University, No. 601 Huangpu Ave West, Guangzhou 510632, China
Huanzhu Liang: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Jinan University, No. 601 Huangpu Ave West, Guangzhou 510632, China
Xueqiong Weng: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Jinan University, No. 601 Huangpu Ave West, Guangzhou 510632, China
Huojie Yao: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Jinan University, No. 601 Huangpu Ave West, Guangzhou 510632, China
Yingyin Fu: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Jinan University, No. 601 Huangpu Ave West, Guangzhou 510632, China
Yexin Li: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Jinan University, No. 601 Huangpu Ave West, Guangzhou 510632, China
Jingmin Chen: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Jinan University, No. 601 Huangpu Ave West, Guangzhou 510632, China
Xiangcai Wei: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Jinan University, No. 601 Huangpu Ave West, Guangzhou 510632, China
Chunxia Jing: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Jinan University, No. 601 Huangpu Ave West, Guangzhou 510632, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-15

Abstract: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are widely used in consumer products. However, the role of PFAS in infertility is still poorly understood. A total of 788 women from the 2013–2016 nationally representative NHANES were included to explore the association between PFAS exposure and self-reported infertility. Six PFAS, including PFDE, PFNA, PFHxS, n-PFOA, n-PFOS, and Sm-PFOS, were detected by online SPE-HPLC-TIS-MS/MS. We used the generalized linear regression model (GLM), generalized additive models (GAM), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to assess the single effects, non-linear relationships, and mixed effects on women’s infertility, respectively. The prevalence of self-reported infertility was 15.54% in this study. In GLM, n-PFOA showed a negative association with self-reported infertility in women for the Q3 (OR: 0.396, 95% CI: 0.119, 0.788) and Q4 (OR: 0.380, 95% CI: 0.172–0.842) compared with Q1 ( p for trend = 0.013). A negative trend was also observed in n-PFOS and ∑PFOS ( p for trend < 0.05). In GAM, a non-linear relationship was revealed in Sm-PFOS, which exhibits a U-shaped relationship. The BKMR model indicated that there might be a joint effect between PFAS and women’s infertility, to which PFNA contributed the highest effect (PIP = 0.435). Moreover, age stratification analysis showed a different dose–response curve in under and above 35 years old. Women under the age of 35 have a more noticeable U-shaped relationship with infertility. Therefore, the relatively low level of mixed PFAS exposure was negatively associated with self-reported infertility in women in general, and the impact of PFAS on infertility may vary among women of different age groups. Further studies are needed to determine the etiological relationship.

Keywords: PFAS; infertility; mixed effect; generalized linear model (GLM); generalized additive models (GAM); Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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