title: Exposure to endocrine disruptors during adulthood: consequences for female fertility.
abstract: Endocrine disrupting chemicals are ubiquitous chemicals that exhibit endocrine disrupting properties in both humans and animals. Female reproduction is an important process, which is regulated by hormones and is susceptible to the effects of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals. Disruptions in female reproductive functions by endocrine disrupting chemicals may result in subfertility, infertility, improper hormone production, estrous and menstrual cycle abnormalities, anovulation, and early reproductive senescence. This review summarizes the effects of a variety of synthetic endocrine disrupting chemicals on fertility during adult life. The chemicals covered in this review are pesticides (organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, and triazines), heavy metals (arsenic, lead, and mercury), diethylstilbesterol, plasticizer alternatives (di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and bisphenol A alternatives), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, nonylphenol, polychlorinated biphenyls, triclosan, and parabens. This review focuses on the hypothalamus, pituitary, ovary, and uterus because together they regulate normal female fertility and the onset of reproductive senescence. The literature shows that several endocrine disrupting chemicals have endocrine disrupting abilities in females during adult life, causing fertility abnormalities in both humans and animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Saniya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rattan
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Changqing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Catheryne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Sharada
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahalingam
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brehm
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA jflaws@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: Jodi A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Flaws
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000633:toxicity*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004785:Environmental Pollutants
keywords: adult; endocrine disrupting chemicals; female; fertility