The body breaks down phthalates into metabolites that are excreted in the urine and can be analyzed. The researchers measured 20 phthalate metabolites in urine samples from study participants.
“We found that there were three basic compounds that seemed to be most strongly associated with taking longer to get pregnant,” says Nobles, “although the phthalates we looked at showed a general trend of taking longer to get pregnant.” ” “As exposure increased, we saw greater and greater effects.”
The researchers also looked at a global marker of inflammation, C-reactive protein, and found that women who had higher levels of exposure to phthalates also had higher levels of inflammation and oxidative stress, which can lead to organ and tissue damage and ultimately There may be illness.
Additionally, women who had higher levels of phthalates had lower estradiol and higher follicle-stimulating hormone during the menstrual cycle, which plays an important role in ovulation and the early establishment of pregnancy.