A new study published online on December 3, 2014 in the peer-reviewed journal Acta Paediatrica investigates the possible link between bisphenol A (BPA) and the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in adolescent girls. PCOS is a common endocrine disorder of uncertain origin that occurs in 5%-10% of women of reproductive age. Several studies concerning the BPA-PCOS relationship in adult women have been published previously. Akın and colleagues from the Erciyes University, Turkey, focused for the first time on adolescent girls. A total of 112 girls with PCOS and 61 healthy control participants aged 13-19 years were recruited for the study. For each participant, serum BPA concentrations were measured along with the levels of various hormones and an oral glucose tolerance test was performed. All participants also underwent a physical examination by a paediatric endocrinologist. The results show that adolescent girls with PCOS had markedly increased serum BPA levels (mean: 1.1 ng/ml) than controls (mean: 0.8 ng/ml). Additionally, increased BPA levels significantly correlated with androgen levels, but not with obesity and metabolic parameters including insulin resistance. The authors conclude that these findings might suggest a possible role of BPA in the development of PCOS in adolescents, but further clinical and laboratory studies are needed to prove this hypothesis.

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Akın, L. et al. (2014). “The endocrine disruptor bisphenol A may play a role in the aetiopathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome in adolescent girls.Acta Paediatrica (published online December 3, 2014)

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