A new ECHO PATHWAYS analysis examining the association between prenatal phthalate exposures and placental corticotropin releasing hormone (pCRH) was published in Environment International. Phthalates, a class of chemicals widely found in consumer products including food and personal care products, are detectable in the urine of virtually 100% of Americans, including pregnant women. While many prior studies have shown that phthalates disrupt androgen, estrogens, and thyroid hormone pathways, to date, few studies have examined impacts on key placental hormones needed to support healthy pregnancies. Using data from the CANDLE study, ECHO investigators Drs. Emily Barrett, Sheela Sathyanarayana, and colleagues observed that prenatal exposure to phthalate mixtures was linked to higher concentrations of pCRH in mid-pregnancy, but lower concentrations in late pregnancy. Associations were strongest (and differed in direction, in some cases) among women with the pregnancy complications preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, suggesting that medically high risk pregnancies may also be more vulnerable to endocrine disruption. Phthalates’ impacts on pCRH are of particular interest given that pCRH has been linked to preterm birth as well as maternal depression and child neurodevelopment. In light of these findings that pCRH may be a target of endocrine disruption, future ECHO PATHWAYS analyses will examine associations with additional environmental exposures as well as associations with maternal and child health outcomes.
