Can endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) influence a mother’s hormone levels during pregnancy? In this webinar, Brad Ryva and Dr. Diana Pacyga discussed their recent study investigating this possibility in pregnant women enrolled in the Illinois Kids Development Study (I-KIDS). This is one of the first studies to investigate mixtures of EDCs and hormone levels during pregnancy. They studied known EDCs, including DEHP and bisphenol A (BPA), as well as chemicals used as replacements, such as DiNCH and bisphenol S (BPS).
They reported that exposure to certain chemicals during pregnancy was associated with altered maternal hormone levels. In some cases the relationships differed depending on fetal sex. Since hormone levels guide development of the fetus and have effects that can last throughout life, these findings are critically important.
This webinar was moderated by Sarah Howard of the Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS) program of Environmental Health Sciences.
Featured Speakers
Brad Ryva, M.S. is a D.O./Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. His research focuses on non-persistent endocrine disrupting chemicals from common, daily-use products and their relationship with women’s health during pregnancy.
Diana Pacyga, M.S., Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Trainee in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Her research thus far has focused on pregnancy, infancy/toddlerhood, and midlife as critical periods with the goal of understanding how chemical and non-chemical stressors during these sensitive windows are associated with maternal and child health.
This webinar was part of the Young EDC Scientists Showcase (YESS) webinar series, sponsored by the Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS) Mentoring Working Group and coordinated by the Collaborative for Health and Environment (CHE). This series features speakers in the early stages of their careers, such as PhD students, post-docs, and other early-career researchers who study endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).
This webinar was also hosted by the EDC Strategies Partnership, which is co-chaired by Sharyle Patton (Commonweal Biomonitoring Resource Center), Jerry Heindel and Sarah Howard (Environmental Health Sciences' Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies, HEEDS), Génon Jensen (Health and Environment Alliance, HEAL), and Rachel Massey (Collaborative for Health and Environment, CHE). To see a full list of past calls and webinars related to EDCs and listen to or view recordings, please visit our partnership page.