Serum perfluoroalkyl acids and time to pregnancy in nulliparous women.
BACKGROUND
Previous studies on the exposure to perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and female fertility have provided conflicting results. We aimed to investigate the association between several PFAAs and time to pregnancy among nulliparous women.


METHODS
From 2008 to 2013, we included 1372 women from the Aarhus Birth Cohort, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, who provided data on time to pregnancy and a blood sample before 20 gestational weeks. We measured the levels of 16 PFAAs in maternal serum and report data for seven compounds with quantifiable values in at least 50% of samples. Fecundability ratios according to PFAA levels (quartiles or continuous levels) were estimated by discrete-time survival analyses, adjusted for potential confounders. We further investigated the association between PFAAs and infertility (time to pregnancy>12 months or infertility treatment prior to the studied pregnancy) by multivariable logistic regression.


RESULTS
Median levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoate were 8.3 and 2.0 ng/mL. Overall, no obvious associations were found between any PFAAs and fecundability or infertility. Adjusted fecundability ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 1.09 (0.92-1.29) for perfluorooctane sulfonate and 1.10 (0.93-1.30) for perfluorooctanoate (highest versus lowest quartile).


CONCLUSIONS
We found no evidence of an association between present serum levels of PFAAs and longer time to pregnancy or infertility in nulliparous women. This study further adds to the sparse knowledge on PFAAs besides perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoate.
Perinatal Epidemiology Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark. Electronic address: ccbach@clin.au.dk.
Cathrine Carlsen
CC
Bach
Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Bodil Hammer
BH
Bech
Research Unit for Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, 5000 Odense C, Denmark.
Ellen Aagaard
EA
Nohr
Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, USA.
Jørn
J
Olsen
Department of Pediatrics, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
Niels Bjerregård
NB
Matthiesen
Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
Rossana
R
Bossi
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
Niels
N
Uldbjerg
Centre for Arctic Health & Unit for Cellular and Molecular Toxicology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Eva Cecilie
EC
Bonefeld-Jørgensen
Perinatal Epidemiology Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; Department of Pediatrics, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
Tine Brink
TB
Henriksen
D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000097:blood* / Q000633:toxicity; D002210:Caprylates / Q000097:blood* / Q000633:toxicity; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000097:blood* / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D061685:Time-to-Pregnancy
D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D002210:Caprylates; D005466:Fluorocarbons; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid
Female fertility; Female infertility; Perfluorooctane sulfonate; Perfluorooctanoate; Time to pregnancy