Tag: placental development

Environmental exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and miscarriage

The role of environmental toxins in reproduction

Abstract

Establishment of early pregnancy is the result of complex biochemical interactions between the decidua and blastocyst.

Any alteration in this chemical dialogue has the potential to result in adverse pregnancy outcomes including miscarriage.

Sporadic miscarriage is the most common complication of pregnancy and can be caused by multiple factors.

While the most common cause of miscarriage is genetic abnormalities in the fetus, other contributing factors certainly can play a role in early loss.

Environmental exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and miscarriage, Fertility and Sterility, Volume 106, Issue 4, Pages Pages 941–947, September 15, 2016.

Miscarriage Tattoo: stacylynn.

One such factor is environmental exposure, in particular to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which has the potential to interfere with endogenous hormone action.

These effects can be deleterious, especially in early pregnancy when the hormonal milieu surrounding implantation is in delicate balance.

The purpose of this paper is to review the current evidence on the role of environmental toxins in reproduction.

Morphologic and molecular changes in the placenta: what we can learn from environmental exposures

Environmental exposures: pregnancy, placenta, and miscarriage

Abstract

In mammals, the extraembryonic tissues, which include the placenta, are crucial for embryonic development and growth.

Because the placenta is no longer needed for postnatal life, however, it has been relatively understudied as a tissue of interest in biomedical research.

Recently, increased efforts have been placed on understanding the placenta and how it may play a key role in human health and disease.

Morphologic and molecular changes in the placenta: what we can learn from environmental exposures, Fertility and Sterility, Volume 106, Issue 4, Pages Pages 930–940, September 15, 2016.

Pregnancy image: kulden.

In this review, we discuss two very different types of environmental exposures: assisted reproductive technologies and in utero exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

We summarize the current literature on their effects on placental development in both rodent and human, and comment on the potential use of placental biomarkers as predictors of offspring health outcomes.