Pregnant women are exposed to persistent environmental contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that disrupt thyroid function. However, it is unclear if PFAS alter maternal sex-steroid hormone levels, which support pregnancy health and fetal development. In Illinois women with relatively high socioeconomic status (n = 460), we quantified perfluorononanoic (PFNA), perfluorooctane sulfonic (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic (PFOA), methyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamide acetic acid, perfluorohexanesulphonic (PFHxS), perfluorodecanoic (PFDeA), and perfluoroundecanoic (PFUdA) acid concentrations in fasting serum samples at median 17 weeks gestation, along with plasma progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol. We evaluated covariate-adjusted associations of ln-transformed hormones with each ln-transformed PFAS individually using linear regression and with the PFAS mixture using quantile-based g-computation (QGComp). Interquartile range (IQR) increases in PFOS were associated with higher progesterone (%Δ 3.0; 95%CI: −0.6, 6.6) and estradiol (%Δ: 8.1; 95%CI: 2.2, 14.4) levels. Additionally, PFHxS was positively associated with testosterone (%Δ: 10.2; 95%CI: 4.0, 16.7), whereas both PFDeA and PFUdA were inversely associated with testosterone (%Δ: −5.7; 95%CI: −10.3, −0.8, and %Δ: −4.1; 95%CI: −7.6, −0.4, respectively). The IQR-standardized PFAS mixture was not associated with progesterone (%Δ: 1.6; 95%CI: −5.8, 9.2), due equal partial positive (%Δ: 9.2; driven by PFOA) and negative (%Δ: −7.4; driven by PFOS) mixture associations. Similarly, the mixture was not associated with testosterone (%Δ: 5.3; 95%CI: −9.0, 20.1), due to similar partial positive (%Δ: 23.6; driven by PFHxS) and negative (%Δ: −17.4; driven by PFDeA) mixture associations. However, we observed a slightly stronger partial positive (%Δ: 25.6; driven by PFOS and PFUdA) than negative (%Δ: −16.3; driven by PFOA) association resulting in an overall non-significant positive trend between the mixture and estradiol (%Δ: 8.5; 95%CI: −3.7, 20.9). PFAS mixture modeled using QGComp was not associated with maternal sex-steroid hormones due to potential opposing effects of certain PFAS. Additional prospective studies could corroborate these findings.

中文翻译：

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全氟烷基物质和多氟烷基物质与母亲妊娠中期性类固醇激素的关联


孕妇暴露于持久性环境污染物中，包括破坏甲状腺功能的全氟烷基物质和多氟烷基物质 (PFAS)。然而，目前尚不清楚 PFAS 是否会改变母亲的性类固醇激素水平，而这有助于怀孕健康和胎儿发育。在社会经济地位相对较高的伊利诺伊州女性 (n = 460) 中，我们对全氟壬酸 (PFNA)、全氟辛烷磺酸 (PFOS)、全氟辛酸 (PFOA)、甲基全氟辛烷磺酰胺乙酸、全氟己磺酸 (PFHxS)、全氟癸酸 (PFDeA) 和妊娠中位 17 周时空腹血清样本中的全氟十一烷酸 (PFUdA) 浓度，以及血浆孕酮、睾酮和雌二醇。我们使用线性回归分别评估了 ln 转化激素与每种 ln 转化 PFAS 的协变量调整关联性，并使用基于分位数的 g 计算 (QGComp) 评估了 ln 转化激素与 PFAS 混合物的协变量调整关联性。 PFOS 的四分位距 (IQR) 增加与较高的孕酮 (%Δ 3.0; 95% CI: -0.6, 6.6) 和雌二醇 (%Δ: 8.1; 95% CI: 2.2, 14.4) 水平相关。此外，PFHxS 与睾酮呈正相关（%Δ：10.2；95%CI：4.0、16.7），而 PFDeA 和 PFUdA 均与睾酮呈负相关（%Δ：-5.7；95%CI：-10.3、-0.8、 %Δ：-4.1；95%CI：-7.6，-0.4）。 IQR 标准化 PFAS 混合物与孕酮无关（%Δ：1.6；95%CI：-5.8，9.2），因为部分阳性（%Δ：9.2；由 PFOA 驱动）和阴性（%Δ：-7.4；9.2；%Δ：-7.4；9.2）相等。由 PFOS）混合物协会驱动。同样，由于类似的部分阳性（%Δ：23.6；由 PFHxS 驱动）和阴性（%Δ：-17.4；驱动），该混合物与睾酮无关（%Δ：5.3；95%CI：-9.0, 20.1）。由PFDeA）混合物协会。 然而，我们观察到部分正相关（%Δ：25.6；由 PFOS 和 PFUdA 驱动）略强于负相关（%Δ：-16.3；由 PFOA 驱动），导致混合物和雌二醇之间总体上不显着的正趋势（ %Δ：8.5；95%CI：-3.7，20.9）。由于某些 PFAS 的潜在相反作用，使用 QGComp 建模的 PFAS 混合物与母体性类固醇激素无关。其他前瞻性研究可以证实这些发现。