title: Association of prenatal and early life exposure to tetrachloroethylene (PCE) with polycystic ovary syndrome and other reproductive disorders in the cape cod health study: A retrospective cohort study.
abstract: Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) is an organic lipophilic solvent with possible neuroendocrine toxicity. The objective of this study was to determine the association of prenatal and early childhood exposure to PCE-contaminated drinking water and development of adult-onset Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, difficulty conceiving and miscarriage.
  
  
  
  Five-hundred exposed and 331 unexposed female participants born between 1969 and 1983 completed questionnaires on demographic and lifestyle characteristics, and reproductive disorders. Residential locations from the prenatal period through five years of age were used to estimate early life PCE exposure with water modeling software.
  
  
  
  For any early life exposure to PCE, the adjusted risk ratio for PCOS was 0.9 (95% CI: 0.5-1.6). No statistically significant associations were observed for increasing levels of exposure with PCOS or the other reproductive disorders.
  
  
  
  No meaningful associations were found among adult women with early life exposure to PCE-contaminated drinking water and adult-onset reproductive disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center, 85 E. Concord St., 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA. Electronic address: shruthi@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Shruthi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahalingaiah
authors.affiliation: Data Coordinating Center, Boston University School of Public Health, Fuller 9, 715 Albany Street, Boston MA 02118, USA. Electronic address: mwinter@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Talbot 3E, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA. Electronic address: aaschen@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aschengrau
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D060766:Drinking Water; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013750:Tetrachloroethylene; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D013750:Tetrachloroethylene
keywords: Drinking water; Polycystic ovary syndrome; Prenatal exposures; Tetrachloroethylene