Cohort study, 2014
Does exposure to PFOS or PFOA chemicals affect menstrual cycles?
Higher exposure to PFOA was linked to longer menstrual cycles. However, this was a cross-sectional study that cannot prove the chemicals caused the change.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 1,623 pregnant women from Greenland, Poland, and Ukraine enrolled between June 2002 and May 2004. Blood samples were tested for PFOS and PFOA levels, and women answered questions about their menstrual cycle length and irregularities.
What they found
Women with the highest PFOA exposure had 1.8 times higher odds of having long menstrual cycles (32 or more days) compared to those with the lowest exposure. PFOS showed no significant association with menstrual cycle characteristics, though there was a tendency toward more irregular cycles.
What it means for you
PFOA might affect menstrual cycles, but this study cannot prove cause and effect because of its design. It only studied pregnant women, so findings may not apply to all women. Response rates varied greatly between countries (91% in Greenland to 26% in Ukraine), and the study lacked information about stress and other health conditions that affect cycles.
1623
Pregnant women studied
1.8
Increased odds of long cycles with highest PFOA
45.3%
Overall response rate
About the study
- Original title
- Menstrual cycle characteristics in fertile women from Greenland, Poland and Ukraine exposed to perfluorinated chemicals: a cross-sectional study
- Authors
- Lyngsø J, Ramlau-Hansen CH, Høyer BB et al.
- Journal
- Human reproduction (Oxford, England)
- Year
- 2014
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 1,623
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1093/humrep/det390
Topics
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