Association of Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates and Phenols With Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

Authors

Misa Hayasaka, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion UniversityFollow
Diana Aboukhater, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion UniversityFollow
George Saade, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion UniversityFollow
Tetsuya Kawakita, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion UniversityFollow

ORCID

0009-0008-3130-5233 (Hayasaka), 0000-0001-8319-4768 (Aboukhater), 0000-0003-2438-1699 (Kawakita)

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2025

DOI

10.1097/og9.0000000000000075

Publication Title

O&G Open

Volume

2

Issue

2

Pages

e075

Conference Name

Presented at the SMFM 2025 Pregnancy Meeting, January 27-February 1, 2025, Denver, Colorado

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the association between prenatal exposures to phthalates and phenols and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth (PTB), small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth weight, and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

METHODS:

This study analyzed data from the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes consortium, which harmonized longitudinal data on more than 30,000 pregnancies and 57,000 children from 69 cohorts across the United States and Puerto Rico. Pregnancy outcomes included PTB, SGA, and GDM, identified from medical records or self-reports. Generalized estimating equations models with Poisson distribution and robust variance were used to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs per interquartile range increase in urinary chemical concentrations.

RESULTS:

Participants included 5,749 pregnant individuals with urinary concentrations of 13 phthalates and 8 phenols measured at least once during pregnancy. Among participants, 543 (9.4%) experienced PTB, 401 (7.0%) had GDM, and 335 (5.8%) had neonates with SGA birth weight. Higher concentrations of mono (3-carboxypropyl) phthalate (RR 1.24, 95% CI, 1.17–1.32), di-isodecyl phthalate (RR 1.22, 95% CI, 1.14–1.30), di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (RR 1.21, 95% CI, 1.14–1.28), and bisphenols (RR 1.15, 95% CI, 1.08–1.22) were associated with increased risk of PTB. Bisphenols were also associated with SGA (RR 1.14, 95% CI, 1.05–1.26), and oxybenzone (RR 1.10, 95% CI, 1.00–1.20) and phthalates were associated with GDM.

CONCLUSION:

Prenatal exposure to phthalates and phenols is associated with an increased risk of PTB, SGA, and GDM. Reducing exposure through individual behaviors and regulatory measures may mitigate these risks.

Rights

© 2025 The Authors.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.

Original Publication Citation

Hayasaka, M., Aboukhater, D., Saade, G., & Kawakita, T. (2025). Association of prenatal exposure to phthalates and phenols with adverse pregnancy outcomes. O&G Open, 2(2), e1-e8, Article e075. https://doi.org/10.1097/og9.0000000000000075

Repository Citation

Hayasaka, M., Aboukhater, D., Saade, G., & Kawakita, T. (2025). Association of prenatal exposure to phthalates and phenols with adverse pregnancy outcomes. O&G Open, 2(2), e1-e8, Article e075. https://doi.org/10.1097/og9.0000000000000075