Publications

Research Summaries

Link Between Phthalate Exposure During Pregnancy and Multiple Health Outcomes in Children

This study looked at patterns of chronic health conditions which can develop together during childhood, including obesity, lung health, and brain development. The study also investigated how these patterns relate to mothers’ exposures to chemicals during pregnancy and found that children—particularly boys—were more likely to be in the group with asthma and breathing problems if their mothers were exposed to a certain group of chemicals called phthalates during pregnancy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2024.108486

Organophosphate Ester Flame Retardants and Birth Outcomes

Organophosphate esters are chemicals commonly used in furniture, baby products, textiles, electronics, and other building materials to prevent fires and make plastics more flexible. Researchers studied over 6,000 pregnant women and found that exposure to certain flame retardants during pregnancy was linked to babies being born earlier than expected, especially girls. Some flame retardants were also linked to babies being heavier than expected for their gestational age. This study suggests that exposure to these chemicals during pregnancy might impact when babies are born and how much they weigh. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13182

Stress During Pregnancy and Child Behavior

A study of 454 pregnant women looked at how stress during pregnancy affects children's mental health. Researchers found that mothers who had more stressful events or felt more distressed during pregnancy had children with more behavioral problems. This study also suggests that girls might be more affected by their mothers' stress during pregnancy than boys. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-022-00911-7

Glyphosate Exposure and Pregnancy

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is the most used weed killer in the world. This study looked at 163 pregnant women in the United States and found that almost all of them had glyphosate in their urine. The study also found that women with higher levels of glyphosate in their urine were more likely to have shorter pregnancies, especially for those women with spontaneous deliveries. The findings highlight the need for further research on glyphosate's effects on pregnancy and newborn health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.111811

Phthalate Mixtures In Pregnancy, Autistic Traits and Adverse Childhood Behavioral Outcomes

This study examined associations between phthalate exposures in pregnancy and child behavior at age 4. Phthalates are commonly found in consumer products, including plastic toys, food packaging, personal care products, cosmetics, air fresheners, and some medications. Phthalate exposure was measured using urine samples TIDES mothers gave during their pregnancy. Researchers found the following results: Early pregnancy phthalate exposures were associated with autism-related social impairment in both sexes. Early pregnancy phthalates were associated with worse adaptive skills in girls. Adaptive skills include: daily living activities, communication, and social skills. Late pregnancy phthalate exposures were associated with higher externalizing behaviors in boys, such as hyperactivity and aggression. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.106330

Associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and sex-typed play behavior in preschool age boys and girls

In this study, we examined exposure to phthalates in pregnancy in relation to how TIDES children played when they were 4-5 years old. Phthalates have been shown to interfere with testosterone, the male sex hormone that helps to pattern the brain during early prenatal development. We found moms who had higher levels of exposure to some phthalates early in their pregnancy reported that their sons were less likely to engage in types of play that are considered more male-typical, such as playing with cars, climbing, and playing sports and ball games. This makes sense given what we know about phthalates and about how the brain develops. The connection between phthalates and play behavior persisted even when we accounted for other factors like how parents would feel if their child engaged in play that is stereotypical of the opposite gender or whether the child had an older same sex sibling. Dr. Evans discusses her research and findings in this video. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.110264

Pregnancy intention and phthalate metabolites among pregnant women in The Infant Development and Environment Study cohort

People who plan their pregnancies are more likely to engage in healthful behaviors of pregnancy, such as not drinking alcohol and taking folic acid. Our study examined whether pregnancy planners also try to limit their exposure to phthalates or other chemicals in the environment. In TIDES, most pregnancies (71%) were planned, and first- and third-trimester phthalate levels were similar between planned and unplanned pregnancies. This might mean that even pregnancy planners did not attempt to limit phthalate exposure or were not successful. We expected that people with unplanned pregnancies might decrease their exposure from the first to third trimester, after having more time to learn and make behavioral changes, but we did not observe this pattern in TIDES. Finally, we found no differences between planned and unplanned pregnancies in a survey of environmental health attitudes and behaviors. Our study confirms the need for universal educational campaigns about the risks of phthalate exposure to pregnant people and the developing fetus. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppe.12674

Joint impact of phthalate exposure and stressful life events in pregnancy on preterm birth

Phthalate exposure combined with high stress during pregnancy is associated with preterm birth. Phthalates, compounds that are present in personal care products and plastics, have been commonly found in pregnant women. Although exposures to phthalates or stress have been independently associated with increased risk for preterm birth, their joint impact was unknown before this study. Using data from 783 pregnant women participating in TIDES, researchers obtained questionnaire information about stressful events in each trimester and measured urinary phthalate metabolites from up to three trimesters. We found an increased risk of preterm birth associated with phthalate metabolites in urine during the third trimester, but not the first trimester. Furthermore, adding the variable of stress to third trimester data showed that the association between phthalate metabolites in urine and preterm birth risk was only significant for women who reported at least one stressful life event during pregnancy versus those who did not. This study paves the way for understanding how combined exposure to environmental and psychosocial factors affect pregnancy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.105254

Publications

1. Swan SH, Sathyanarayana S, Grady R, Redmon B, Ivicek K, Barrett E, Janssen First trimester phthalate exposure and anogenital distance in newborns. Hum Reprod. 2015 Apr;30(4):963-72. PMID: 25697839. PMCID: PMC4359397.
2. Sathyanarayana S, Grady R, Redmon JB, Ivicek K, Barrett E, Janssen S, Nguyen R, Swan SH, TIDES Study Team. Anogenital distance and penile width measurements in The Infant Development and the Environment Study (TIDES): methods and J Pediatr Urol. 2015 Apr; 11(2):76.e1-6. PMID: 25824881. PMCID: PMC4456209.
3. Adibi JJ, Lee MK, Naimi AI, Barrett E, Nguyen R, Sathyanarayana S, Janssen S, Thiet MP, Baskin L, Redmon JB, Swan SH. Human chorionic gonadotropin partially mediates phthalate association with male and female anogenital distance. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015 Sep;100(9):e1216-24. PMID: 26200238. PMCID: PMC4570159.
4. Alur S, Hongyue W, Hoeger K, Swan SH, Sathyanarayana S, Barrett Urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations in relation to history of infertility and use of assisted reproductive technology. Fertil Steril. 2015 Nov;104(5):1227-35. PMID: 26275821. PMCID: PMC4630141.
5. Barrett E, Sathyanarayana S, Redmon B, Brantley E, Fiore H, Janssen S, Nguyen R, Kobrosly R, Swan SH, and the TIDES Study Team. Prenatal stress as a modifier of associations between phthalate exposure and reproductive development: results from a multicenter pregnancy cohort Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2016 Mar;30(2): 105-
6. PMID: 26576028. PMCID: PMC4749428.
7. Martino-Andrade AJ, Liu F, Sathyanarayana S, Barrett ES, Redmon JB, Nguyen RH, Levine H, Swan SH; TIDES Study Team. Timing of prenatal phthalate exposure in relation to genital endpoints in male Andrology. 2016 Jul;4(4):585-93. Epub 2016 Apr 7. PMID: 27062102
8. Sathyanarayana S, Barrett E, Nguyen R, Redmon B, Haaland W, Swan SH. First trimester phthalate exposure and infant birth weight in the Infant Development and Environment Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016 Sep 23;13(10). PMID: 27669283. PMCID: PMC5086684.
9. Sathyanarayana S, Grady R, Barrett E, Redmon B, Nguyen R, Bush N, Swan SH, and the TIDES Study Team. First trimester phthalate exposure and newborn male genital anomalies. Environ Res. 2016 Nov; 151:777-82. PMID: 27567446.
10. Sathyanarayana S, Butts S, Wang C, Barrett E, Nguyen R, Schwartz SM, Haaland W, Swan SH. Early Prenatal Phthalate Exposure, Sex Steroid Hormones, and Birth Outcomes. J Clin Endocrinol 2017 Jun 1; 102(6):1870-1878. PMID: 28324030. PMCID: PMC5470772.
11. Barrett ES, Sathyanarayana S, Bowe O, Thurston SW, Redmon JB, Nguyen RHN, Swan SH. First-Trimester Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration in Relation to Anogenital Distance, an Androgen-Sensitive Measure of Reproductive Development, in Infant Girls. Environ Health Perspect. 2017 Jul 11; 125(7):077008. PMID: 28728138. PMCID: PMC5744699.
12. Barrett E, Sathyanarayana S, Redmon B, Brantley E, Fiore H, Janssen S, Nguyen R, Kobrosly R, Swan SH, and the TIDES Study Anogenital distance in newborn daughters of women with polycystic ovary syndrome indicates fetal testosterone exposure. Dev Orig Health Dis. 2018 Jun;9(3):307-314. Epub 2018 Jan 9. PMID: 29310733. PMCID: PMC5997496.
13. Bornehag CG, Lindh C, Reichenberg A, Wikström S, Hallerback MU, Evans SF, Sathyanarayana S, Barrett ES, Nguyen RHN, Bush NR, Swan SH. Association of prenatal phthalate exposure with language development in early childhood. JAMA Pediatr. 2018 Dec 1;172(12):1169-1176. PMID: 30383084. PMCID: PMC6583016.
14. Rosen EM, van ‘t Erve TJ, Boss J, Sathyanarayana S, Barrett ES, Nguyen RHN, Bush NR, Milne GL, McElrath TF, Swan SH, Ferguson KK. Urinary oxidative stress biomarkers and accelerated time to spontaneous delivery. Free Radic Biol Med. 2019 Jan;130:419-425. PMID: 30445128. PMCID: PMC6331226.
15. Shaffer RM, Ferguson KK, Sheppard L, James-Todd T, Butts S, Chandrasekaran S, Swan SH, Barrett ES, Nguyen R, Bush N, McElrath TF, Sathyanarayana S, TIDES Study Maternal urinary phthalate metabolites in relation to gestational diabetes and glucose intolerance during pregnancy. Environ Int. 2019 Feb:588-596. PMID: 30622083. PMCID: PMC6347428.
16. van 't Erve TJ; Rosen EM, Barrett ES, Nguyen RHN, Sathyanarayana S, Milne GL, Calafat AM, Swan SH, Ferguson KK. Phthalates and phthalate alternatives have diverse associations with oxidative stress and inflammation in pregnant women. Environ Sci Technol. 2019 Mar 19;53(6): 3258-3267. PMID: 30793895. PMCID: PMC6487641.
17. Barrett ES, Mbowe O, Thurston SW, Butts S, Wang C, Nguyen R, Bush N, Redmon JB, Sheshu S, Swan SH, Sathyanarayana, S. Predictors of steroid hormone concentrations in early pregnancy: results from a multi-center cohort. Matern Child Health J. 2019 Mar;23(2):397-407. PMID: 30659461. PMCID: PMC6397082.
18. Ferguson KK, Rosen EM, Barrett ES, Nguyen RHN, Bush N, McElrath TF, Swan SH, Sathyanarayana S. Joint impact of phthalate exposure and stressful life events in pregnancy on preterm birth. Environ Int. 2019 Dec;133(Pt B): 105254. PMID: 31675562.
19. Day DB, Collett BR, Barrett ES, Bush NR, Swan SH, Wang C, Sathyanarayana S, TIDES Study Team. Prenatal sex hormones and behavioral outcomes in children. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2020 Mar;113:104547. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104547. Epub 2019 Dec 24. PMID: 31901731.
20. Lyden GR, Barrett ES, Sathyanarayana S, Bush NR, Swan SH, Nguyen RHN. Pregnancy intention and phthalate metabolites among pregnant women in The Infant Development and Environment Study cohort. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2020 Nov;34(6):736-743. doi: 10.1111/ppe.12674. Epub 2020 Apr 6. PMID: 32249967; PMCID: PMC7541656..
21. Evans SF, Raymond S, Sethuram S, Barrett ES, Bush NR, Nguyen R, Sathyanarayana S, Swan SH. Associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and sex-typed play behavior in preschool age boys and girls. Environ Res. 2021 Jan;192:110264. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110264. Epub 2020 Sep 28. PMID: 32997969.
22. Day DB, Collett BR, Barrett ES, Bush NR, Swan SH, Nguyen RHN, Szpiro AA, Sathyanarayana S. Phthalate mixtures in pregnancy, autistic traits, and adverse childhood behavioral outcomes. Environ Int. 2021 Feb;147:106330. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106330. Epub 2021 Jan 5. PMID: 33418196.
23. Barrett E, Thurston SW, Harrington D, Bush NR, Sathyanarayana S, Nguyen R, Zavez A, Wang C, Swan S. Digit ratio, a proposed marker of the prenatal hormone environment, is not associated with prenatal sex steroids, anogenital distance, or gender-typed play behavior in preschool age children. J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2021 Dec;12(6):923-932. doi: 10.1017/S2040174420001270. Epub 2020 Dec 18. PMID: 33336644; PMCID: PMC8211903.
24. Lesseur C, Pirrotte P, Pathak KV, Manservisi F, Mandrioli D, Belpoggi F, Panzacchi S, Li Q, Barrett ES, Nguyen RHN, Sathyanarayana S, Swan SH, Chen Maternal urinary levels of glyphosate during pregnancy and anogenital distance in newborns in a US multicenter pregnancy cohort. Environ Pollut. 2021 Jul 1;280:117002. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117002. Epub 2021 Mar 22. PMID: 33812205.
25. Arogbokun O, Rosen E, Keil AP, Milne GL, Barrett E, Nguyen R, Bush NR, Swan SH, Sathyanarayana S, Ferguson KK. Maternal Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Pregnancy and Child Growth from Birth to Age 6. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021 Apr 23;106(5):1427-1436. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgab018. PMID: 33524128; PMCID:
26. Bedell SM, Lyden GR, Sathyanarayana S, Barrett ES, Ferguson KK, Santilli A, Bush NR, Swan SH, McElrath TF, Nguyen RHN. First- and Third-Trimester Urinary Phthalate Metabolites in the Development of Hypertensive Diseases of Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Oct 11;18(20):10627. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182010627. PMID: 34682373; PMCID: PMC8536149.
27. Lesseur C, Pathak KV, Pirrotte P, Martinez MN, Ferguson KK, Barrett ES, Nguyen RHN, Sathyanarayana S, Mandrioli D, Swan SH, Chen J. Urinary glyphosate concentration in pregnant women in relation to length of Environ Res. 2022 Jan;203:111811. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111811. Epub 2021 Jul 30. PMID: 34339697; PMCID: PMC8616796.