title: Maternal serum perfluoroalkyl substances during pregnancy and duration of breastfeeding.
abstract: Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may affect breast development and decrease duration of breastfeeding, thus interfering with the health benefits of breastfeeding. We investigated the association between maternal PFAS exposure and breastfeeding duration.
  
  
  
  We measured PFAS concentrations in maternal serum collected during pregnancy in 2003-2006. After delivery, women (n=336) completed standardized breastfeeding surveys every 3 months until ending breastfeeding or 36 months postpartum. We estimated relative risks (RRs) for ending any breastfeeding within 3-6 months postpartum by Poisson regression, adjusted for relevant confounding factors.
  
  
  
  Women in the 4th quartile of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) serum concentration had 1.77 times the risk of ending any breastfeeding by 3 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23, 2.54; p-trend=0.003) and 1.41 times the risk of ending any breastfeeding by 6 months (95%CI: 1.06, 1.87; p-trend=0.038), compared with women in the first quartile. Women in the 4th quartile of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid serum concentration had a marginally increased risk of discontinuing any breastfeeding by 3 months (RR=1.32; 95%CI: 0.97, 1.79; p-trend=0.065).
  
  
  
  Maternal serum PFOA concentrations were inversely related to duration of any breastfeeding in this cohort, even after controlling for prior breastfeeding. These findings suggest that PFOA exposure may adversely affect breastfeeding duration and highlight the need to consider the potential adverse effects of maternal environmental chemical exposure on breastfeeding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. Electronic address: megan_romano@brown.edu.
authors.forename: Megan E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.affiliation: Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Yingying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Antonia M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Calafat
authors.affiliation: Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yolton
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Aimin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Child and Family Research Institute, BC Children's and Women's Hospital and Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Glenys M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Webster
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Eliot
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.affiliation: Child and Family Research Institute, BC Children's and Women's Hospital and Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Bruce P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Lanphear
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Braun
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D009820:Ohio; D011247:Pregnancy; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005466:Fluorocarbons
keywords: Breastfeeding; Perfluoroalkyl substances; Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid; Perfluorooctanoic acid