The purpose of this project is to assess the effect of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides on female fecundity and fertility. This project is a part of a larger study entitled the New York State Angler Cohort Study (H75/ATH298328) whose purpose is to characterize exposures to various environmental contaminants, and to determine whether human health has been adversely affected among a cohort of angler families residing in the Great Lakes Basin of New York State. Specifically, 102 women who were planning to discontinue contraception to become pregnant were followed for 12 at risk menstrual cycles. All women completed baseline interviews and 90 provided blood specimens. Women were instructed in the use of home pregnancy kits and in the completion of daily diaries that were used to record menstruation, sexual intercourse, pregnancy test results, and select behaviors (i.e., cigarette smoking, caffeine and alcohol consumption, vitamin usage, and fish consumption). Additional blood specimens were obtained from women upon becoming pregnant and after delivery for women whose pregnancies resulted in a live birth. Toxicological analysis of blood specimens was conducted using gas chromatography with electron capture for 66 PCB congeners and 7 pesticides. Data analysis is currently underway to determine whether female fecundity, as measured by time-to-pregnancy, is adversely affected by PCB congeners and/or pesticides along with other relevant fecundity endpoints (viz., pregnancy loss, menstruation and infertility).

Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
9
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$53,017
Indirect Cost
City
State
Country
Zip Code
Bloom, Michael S; Louis, Germaine M Buck; Sundaram, Rajeshwari et al. (2011) Associations between blood metals and fecundity among women residing in New York State. Reprod Toxicol 31:158-63
Gollenberg, Audra L; Mumford, Sunni L; Cooney, Maureen A et al. (2011) Validity of retrospectively reported behaviors during the periconception window. J Reprod Med 56:130-7
Buck Louis, Germaine M; Rios, Lisbeth Iglesias; McLain, Alexander et al. (2011) Persistent organochlorine pollutants and menstrual cycle characteristics. Chemosphere 85:1742-8
Lum, Kirsten J; Sundaram, Rajeshwari; Buck Louis, Germaine M (2011) Women's lifestyle behaviors while trying to become pregnant: evidence supporting preconception guidance. Am J Obstet Gynecol 205:203.e1-7
Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; Louis, Germaine M Buck; Cooney, Maureen A et al. (2010) Characteristics of prospectively measured vaginal bleeding among women trying to conceive. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 24:24-30
Pollack, Anna Z; Buck Louis, Germaine M; Sundaram, Rajeshwari et al. (2010) Caffeine consumption and miscarriage: a prospective cohort study. Fertil Steril 93:304-6
Jackson, Leila W; Lynch, Courtney D; Kostyniak, Paul J et al. (2010) Prenatal and postnatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and child size at 24 months of age. Reprod Toxicol 29:25-31
Murphy, Laurel E; Gollenberg, Audra L; Buck Louis, Germaine M et al. (2010) Maternal serum preconception polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations and infant birth weight. Environ Health Perspect 118:297-302
Kim, Sungduk; Sundaram, Rajeshwari; Buck Louis, Germaine M (2010) Joint modeling of intercourse behavior and human fecundability using structural equation models. Biostatistics 11:559-71
Bloom, Michael S; Buck-Louis, Germaine M; Schisterman, Enrique F et al. (2009) Changes in maternal serum chlorinated pesticide concentrations across critical windows of human reproduction and development. Environ Res 109:93-100

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