title: Racial and ethnic variations in phthalate metabolite concentration changes across full-term pregnancies.
abstract: Higher concentrations of certain phthalate metabolites are associated with adverse reproductive and pregnancy outcomes, as well as poor infant/child health outcomes. In non-pregnant populations, phthalate metabolite concentrations vary by race/ethnicity. Few studies have documented racial/ethnic differences between phthalate metabolite concentrations at multiple time points across the full-course of pregnancy. The objective of the study was to characterize the change in phthalate metabolite concentrations by race/ethnicity across multiple pregnancy time points. Women were participants in a prospectively collected pregnancy cohort who delivered at term (≥37 weeks) and had available urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations for ≥3 time points across full-term pregnancies (n=350 women). We assessed urinary concentrations of eight phthalate metabolites that were log-transformed and specific gravity-adjusted. We evaluated the potential racial/ethnic differences in phthalate metabolite concentrations at baseline (median 10 weeks gestation) using ANOVA and across pregnancy using linear mixed models to calculate the percent change and 95% confidence intervals adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Almost 30% of the population were non-Hispanic black or Hispanic. With the exception of mono-(3-carboxypropyl) (MCPP) and di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) metabolites, baseline levels of phthalate metabolites were significantly higher in non-whites (P<0.05). When evaluating patterns by race/ethnicity, mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP) and MCPP had significant percent changes across pregnancy. MEP was higher in Hispanics at baseline and decreased in mid-pregnancy but increased in late pregnancy for non-Hispanic blacks. MCPP was substantially higher in non-Hispanic blacks at baseline but decreased later in pregnancy. Across pregnancy, non-Hispanic black and Hispanic women had higher concentrations of certain phthalate metabolites. These differences may have implications for racial/ethnic differences in adverse pregnancy and child health outcomes.
authors: Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.|Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors: Tamarra M
authors: TM
authors: James-Todd
authors: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors: John D
authors: JD
authors: Meeker
authors: Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors: Tianyi
authors: T
authors: Huang
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors: Russ
authors: R
authors: Hauser
authors: Division of Endocrine, Diabetes, and Hypertension, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors: Ellen W
authors: EW
authors: Seely
authors: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors: Kelly K
authors: KK
authors: Ferguson
authors: Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors: Janet W
authors: JW
authors: Rich-Edwards
authors: Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors: Thomas F
authors: TF
authors: McElrath
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001900:Boston; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000652:urine*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000652:urine*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000652:urine; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters / Q000652:urine*; D037841:Pregnant People; D011446:Prospective Studies; D044469:Racial Groups; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010795:Phthalic Acids