Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on May 6, 2004
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Human Reproduction, Vol. 19, No. 7, 1506-1512,
July 2004
© 2004 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
In utero exposure to organochlorines and age at menarche
1 Department of Epidemiology, Michigan State University, 4660 S. Hagadorn Road, Suite 600, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
2 To whom correspondence should be addressed. e-mail: karmaus{at}msu.edu
BACKGROUND: To examine the effect of in utero exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) on age at menarche in offspring, we conducted a cohort study over two generations. METHODS: Female participants (and their offspring) in a Michigan angler cohort in which organochlorine levels had been determined previously were studied. Of their 213 female offspring aged 20–50 years, 151 participated in the study (71%). We retrospectively determined age at first menstrual bleeding. Based on repeated maternal serum measurements between 1973 and 1991, we extrapolated PCB and DDE serum levels at the time of pregnancy. To estimate the association between in utero PCB and DDE exposure and age at menarche, we used linear regression analyses controlling for birth date period, maternal age at delivery, birth weight, breastfeeding, education status and maternal height. RESULTS: An increase in the in utero DDE exposure of 15 µg/l reduced age at menarche by 1 year (P = 0.04). There was no association with maternal PCB exposure. When controlling for estimated body size at menarche, the DDE association was no longer significant, based on a subsample of 102 women. CONCLUSION: The DDE effect on age at menarche encourages further research about in utero exposures. Prospective studies including the offspring’s DDE level before menarche are of particular interest.
Key words: DDE/in utero/menarche/offspring/PCB
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  G. Rasier, A.-S. Parent, A. Gerard, M.-C. Lebrethon, and J.-P. Bourguignon Early Maturation of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Secretion and Sexual Precocity after Exposure of Infant Female Rats to Estradiol or Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane Biol Reprod, October 1, 2007; 77(4): 734 - 742. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 W. Karmaus Commentary: Halogenated organic compounds and child's growth: a growing public health problem Int. J. Epidemiol., August 1, 2006; 35(4): 858 - 861. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 F Ouyang, M J Perry, S A Venners, C Chen, B Wang, F Yang, Z Fang, T Zang, L Wang, X Xu, et al. Serum DDT, age at menarche, and abnormal menstrual cycle length Occup. Environ. Med., December 1, 2005; 62(12): 878 - 884. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 Prenatal DDE Exposure Reduces Age at Menarche Journal Watch Women's Health, September 21, 2004; 2004(921): 3 - 3. [Full Text]
|
|