Cited by 465Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicalsSexual Differentiation and DisordersReproductive Biology and Fertility

Female reproductive disorders: the roles of endocrine-disrupting compounds and developmental timing

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Crain, D. Andrew, Janssen, Sarah J., Edwards, Thea M., Heindel, Jerrold, Ho, Shuk-mei, Hunt, Patricia, Iguchi, Taisen, Juul, Anders +10 more·2008·Fertility and Sterility

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the possible role of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) on female reproductive disorders emphasizing developmental plasticity and the complexity of endocrine-dependent ontogeny of reproductive organs. Declining conception rates and the high incidence of female reproductive disruptions warrant evaluation of the impact of EDCs on female reproductive health.Design Publications related to the contribution of EDCs to disorders of the ovary (aneuploidy, polycystic ovary syndrome, and altered cyclicity), uterus (endometriosis, uterine fibroids, fetal growth restriction, and pregnancy loss), breast (breast cancer, reduced duration of lactation), and pubertal timing were identified, reviewed, and summarized at a workshop.Conclusion(s) The data reviewed illustrate that EDCs contribute to numerous human female reproductive disorders and emphasize the sensitivity of early life-stage exposures. Many research gaps are identified that limit full understanding of the contribution of EDCs to female reproductive problems. Moreover, there is an urgent need to reduce the incidence of these reproductive disorders, which can be addressed by correlative studies on early life exposure and adult reproductive dysfunction together with tools to assess the specific exposures and methods to block their effects. This review of the EDC literature as it relates to female health provides an important platform on which women's health can be improved.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.08.067

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  • Disruption of steroid hormone action was found to be causal in reproductive outcomes of EDC exposure, particularly during critical developmental windows.

    “Invariably, disruption of steroid hormone action was found to be causal, particularly during critical developmental windows (39–41).”

    From Endocrine Disruption of Vasopressin Systems and Related Behaviors (2017) · cites this paper as [40]

    The review describes hormone-signaling disruption as one mechanism of EDC effects and identifies critical developmental exposure windows, including for DES (Abstract > Conclusion(s); Environment and Development). But it calls interrupted hormonal control a plausible mechanism for ovarian disturbances and notes uncertainty about links between fetal exposures and adult disorders (Disruptions of the Ovary; Needed Research and Initiatives). It does not establish that disruption of steroid hormone action was invariably causal. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Animal studies show that endometriosis can be promoted by adult exposures to organochlorines, including dioxin, methoxychlor, DDT, and polychlorinated biphenyls.

    “Animal studies also show that endometriosis can be promoted by adult exposures to organochlorines, a class of chemicals that includes the dioxin, tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, the pesticides methoxychlor and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, and polychlorinated biphenyls with dioxin-like effects.57”

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Authors
Crain, D. A., Janssen, S. J., Edwards, T. M., Heindel, J., Ho, S.-M., Hunt, P., Iguchi, T., Juul, A., McLachlan, J. A., Schwartz, J., Skakkebaek, N., Soto, A. M., Swan, S., Walker, C., Woodruff, T. K., Woodruff, T. J., Giudice, L. C., & Guillette, L. J.
Affiliations
  • Maryville College (US)
  • Natural Resources Defense Council (US)
  • University of Florida (US)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (US)
  • University of Cincinnati (US)
  • Washington State University (US)
  • National Institute for Basic Biology (JP)
  • Rigshospitalet (DK)
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • Tufts University (US)
  • University of Rochester Medicine (US)
  • The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (US)
  • Northwestern University (US)
Corresponding author
Guillette, Louis J.
Venue
Fertility and Sterility
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-10
Volume
90
Issue
4
Pages
911-940
ISSN
0015-0282 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2154968546
Cited by
465
References
315
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 38 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 29 · 2013: 35 · 2012: 25
FWCI
2.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Fertility and Sterility (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P30ES006096)
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (UL1DE019587)
  • National Center for Research Resources (UL1RR024926)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U54HD076188, U54HD041857)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Reproductive Biology and Fertility
Keywords
endocrine disruptors, female reproductive disorders, developmental plasticity, early life exposure, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, fetal growth restriction, miscarriage, breast cancer, lactation length, pubertal timing, reproductive disorders
MeSH terms
Female, Genital Diseases, Female, Humans, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Outcome, Reproduction, Endocrine Disruptors

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