On April 29, 2014 the news provider Environmental Health News published an article reporting on a new study showing an increase in risk of miscarriage in women with elevated bisphenol A (BPA) levels (Lathi et al. 2014). The study published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Fertility and Sterility assessed BPA levels in 115 pregnant women who visited a Stanford University fertility clinic within 4 weeks of fertilization. 68 of women participating in the study suffered miscarriages; however, the women were likely at high reproductive risk since they sought treatment at a fertility clinic. Also, analysis was based on one or two spot measurements of serum BPA levels. For the analysis women were separated into 4 groups, based on their serum BPA levels and compared for their risk of miscarriage. Women in the high level group had an 83% greater risk of miscarriage, compared to the lowest BPA exposure group. Ruth Lathi, Stanford University associate professor and lead author of the study, advises couples trying to become pregnant to avoid BPA exposure, as it may interfere with fetal development. Lathi contended in the EHN article that the researchers would like to investigate in the future whether reduced BPA exposure lowers the risk of miscarriage.
Read more
Brian Bienkowski (April 29, 2014). “Miscarriage risk rises with BPA exposure, study finds.” Environmental Health News.
Reference
Lathi, R. et al. (2014). “Conjugated bisphenol A (BPA) in maternal serum in relation to miscarriage risk.” Fertility and Sterility (published online April 17, 2014).
