Associations between Phthalate Metabolite Concentrations in Follicular Fluid and Reproductive Outcomes among Women Undergoing <i>in Vitro</i> Fertilization/Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection Treatment
Wen Yao, Chong Liu, Danyu Qin, Xiao-Qiong Yuan, Q. Y. Yao, Ni-Jie Li, Yong Huang, Wentao Rao, Yuying Li, Yan-Ling Deng, Qiang Zeng, Yufeng Li
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Phthalates have been reported to impair fertility in various studies. However, evidence exploring the associations between phthalate metabolites in follicular fluid (FF) and reproductive outcomes is lacking. OBJECTIVES: fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) outcomes among women recruited from a fertility clinic. METHODS: -butyl phthalate (MBP), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), and mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP), were quantified in FF collected on the oocyte retrieval day. Associations between quartiles of individual phthalate metabolite concentrations and nine IVF/ICSI outcomes, including oocyte yield, mature oocyte number, two distinct pronuclei (2PN) zygote number, fertilization rate, blastocyst formation rate, implantation, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, and live birth, were estimated with generalized linear models. The effects of phthalate mixtures on IVF/ICSI outcomes were assessed using Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models. RESULTS: ) in yielded oocyte and mature oocyte numbers, respectively. Furthermore, the BKMR models revealed inverse associations between phthalate mixtures and the numbers of retrieved oocytes and mature oocytes. We generally found null results for implantation, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, and live birth. DISCUSSION: Certain phthalate metabolites in FF are inversely associated with the numbers of retrieved oocytes, mature oocytes, and 2PN zygotes among women undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11998.