Scientists have identified pregnancy and menopause as two critical windows of exposure, in which women are more susceptible to harmful reproductive health effects. [1] Chemicals found in consumer products and ubiquitous in the environment such as PFAS, flame retardants, plasticizers, and pesticides have been linked to poor maternal reproductive health during pregnancy and the development of other medical conditions throughout life, including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, breast cancer, miscarriage, impaired fetal growth, and early ovarian aging. [2] [3] [4] During the prenatal period, chemicals stored in the body are more readily released into the bloodstream and some can pass through the placental barrier, impacting both the mother and fetus. Later life chemical exposures have also been found to be influenced by pre and post-menopausal status, as certain chemicals may be increasingly eliminated from the body during menstruation, leading to less bioaccumulation.[5]

In the sixth Generation Chemical webinar, Jeanne Conry, MD, PhD, President-elect of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, moderated a discussion with Julia Varshavsky, PhD, MPH, Sverre Wikström, MD, PhD, and Ning Ding, PhD, MPH on toxic environmental exposures and maternal reproductive health impacts. Exposure and health disparities and policy implications were also highlighted.

Pregnancy is a unique period when biological changes can increase sensitivity to chemical exposures for both mother and fetus. However, women’s health risks are poorly characterized for most chemicals. Dr. Varshavsky presented findings from a recent review of 64 epidemiologic studies on chemical exposures during pregnancy and three maternal outcomes (preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and breast cancer). She and colleagues identified pregnancy as a critical period for women’s health. She summarized the data and discuss strategies for strengthening future research on the exposome and women’s health.

Many first trimester sporadic miscarriages are unexplained, and the role of environmental exposures is largely unknown. Later in an established pregnancy, preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and emerging research indicates associations with environmental exposures. Dr. Sverre Wikström discussed two recent publications investigating the associations between early pregnancy exposure to PFAS and miscarriage, preeclampsia, and impaired fetal growth, respectively, in the Swedish SELMA pregnancy cohort. He also highlighted data indicating effects on women’s reproductive health.


Menopause marks the cessation of ovarian function, and its timing has physiologic impacts beyond the reproductive system, affecting women’s overall health. PFAS may play an important role in the process of reproductive aging, but the research is limited. Dr. Ning Ding investigated the impact of these chemicals on ovarian aging using data from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) as part of her dissertation work. Dr. Ding will present data on women’s exposure to PFAS and their associations with menopausal timing. Her research findings suggest that PFAS exposure may cause earlier natural menopause and accelerated ovarian aging.


The “Generation Chemical” webinar series is brought to you in partnership with the Collaborative on Health and the Environment(CHE) and the University of California, San Francisco Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE),the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics(FIGO), Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE), Endocrine Society, the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS), and UCSF’s Environment Research and Translation for Health Center (EaRTH).

This webinar was moderated Jeanne Conry, MD, PhD, President-elect of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. It lasted for 70 minutes and was recorded for our call and webinar archive.