Organophosphate and Pyrethroid Pesticide Exposures Measured before Conception and Associations with Time to Pregnancy in Chinese Couples Enrolled in the Shanghai Birth Cohort

Abstract

Background:Pesticides have been associated with reproductive disorders, but there is limited research on pesticide exposures and human fertility.Objective:We aimed to investigate the effects of preconception exposure to pesticides on time to pregnancy (TTP) and on infertility in a general population of couples planning to become pregnant in Shanghai, China.Methods:A total of 615 women who were planning a pregnancy were enrolled before conception and were prospectively followed for 1 y to observe their TTP. Preconception pesticide exposures were assessed by measuring urinary metabolites of organophosphates (OPs) and pyrethroids (PYRs). Fecundability odds ratios (FORs) and odds ratios (ORs) of infertility were estimated using Cox and logistic regression models, respectively. All analyses were repeated after restricting the sample to nulliparous women (n=569).Results:After adjusting for age, prepregnancy BMI, current smoking, education, annual household income, age at menarche, and two items from the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), women in the highest quartile of diethylthiophosphate (DETP; an OP metabolite) had significantly longer TTP [adjusted FOR=0.68 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.92)] and increased infertility [adjusted OR=2.17 (95% CI: 1.19, 3.93)] compared with women in the lowest quartile. The highest versus lowest quartile of 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3PBA; a PYR metabolite) was associated with longer TTP and infertility, with significant associations in nulliparous women [adjusted FOR=0.72 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.98); adjusted OR for infertility=2.03 (95% CI: 1.10, 3.74)].Conclusion:Our study provides some of the first evidence that preconception OP and PYR exposures are associated with decreased fertility in Chinese couples. Given that OPs and PYRs are rapidly metabolized in humans, more studies are needed to confirm our findings. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2987

Urinary Organophosphate Metabolite Concentrations and Pregnancy Outcomes among Women Conceiving through in Vitro Fertilization in Shanghai, China

“…In our study, DEP was the dominant individual metabolite, consistent with previous studies in China (Hu et al 2018;Wang et al 2017b), and was primarily responsible for associations between the summed DAP metabolites and clinical outcomes. Several factors may explain this phenomenon.…”

“…In our study, we found detection rates for the measured DAP metabolites between 1.9% and 92%. Nevertheless, DAP metabolites concentrations in preconception women in our study (RDAP median 216:67 nmol=g) were much higher than those reported in developed countries such as the France (38:2 nmol=g) and the United States (102:80 nmol=g), although still comparable to those previously reported from Shanghai (198:43 nmol=g) and Jiangsu (295:80 nmol=g) provinces in China (Hu et al 2018;Bradman et al 2005;Liu et al 2016;Debost-Legrand et al 2016). The high urine DAP concentrations of OP in the current population may be attributable to heavy use and high residues in the common raw food supply in China.…”

“…Several previous studies have reported evidence of age-related differences in the impact of environmental contaminant exposures on female fecundability (Wang et al 2018;Rattan et al 2017). Hu et al (2018) suggested that female reproductive function may be more susceptible to the adverse effects of OP exposures at an older age (≥32 years of age). Subsequently, several other studies also showed that pesticide exposures may aggravate the deterioration of embryonic development by disrupting the homeostasis of reproductive hormones in older women (Yilmaz et al 2020;Lauria et al 2006).…”

“…Our previous studies documented that exposure to OP was associated with prolonged time of pregnancy, decreased length of gestation, and poorer intellectual development in offspring (Hu et al 2018;Wang et al 2012;Wang et al 2017b). Most studies examining the relationship between OP exposure and adverse reproductive outcomes have primarily focused on women who conceived naturally (Levario-Carrillo et al 2004;Pastore et al 1997;Zhu et al 2006;Hu et al 2018;Wang et al 2012;Wang et al 2017b). The evidence of adverse associations between OP and endocrine function raised further concerns about chronic OP exposures and potential effects on pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing IVF.…”

More pesticides—less children?

“…This article provides a more detailed analysis to clarify the difference in the number of children after adjustment for age. Indeed, some pesticides have been implicated in endocrine disturbances [15], disturbances of reproduction [16][17][18] and adverse effects on the male reproductive system [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26], but comparative epidemiologic studies in pesticide exposed tropical farmworkers are sparse. Thus, the apparent differences between organic and conventional farmworkers were investigated in detail.…”