Upcoming Calls
May 21, 2012
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CHE Fertility and Reproductive Health and CHE EMF working groups call: EMF and Reproductive Health Risks
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Special note: We have been experiencing ongoing technical difficulties with the RSVP system for this call. We are working to resolve the issue. In the meantime, if you experience a problem with the online system, please email info@healthandenvironment.org asking to join the call and the dial-in number and access code will be emailed directly to you. Sorry for the inconvenience.
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Fertility/Repro Health News
16 May Study: Urinary BPA concentrations and implantation failure among women undergoing in vitro fertilization.  Exposure to bisphenol A at levels commonly found in the general population may cut a woman's chance of getting pregnant if she is undergoing fertility treatment, a study from Harvard University finds. Those with higher levels were less likely to get pregnant than women with lower levels. While animal studies show similar results, this is the first link reported in people. BPA is widely used in some plastics, most food can linings and certain receipt paper. Environmental Health Perspectives. 16 May Study: DEHP impairs female fertility and promotes adipogenesis in C3H/N mice. Di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) impaired fertility in high concentrations and increased body weight and visceral fat depots in female C3H/N mice in environmentally relevant dosages. Environmental Health Perspectives. 15 May Obesity in pregnancy: Carrying too many pounds can give your baby a life of weight problems.  Overweight mothers-to-be could be condemning their unborn children to decades of ill health. Babies whose mothers were carrying extra pounds when pregnant are more likely to be fat and unhealthy as adults, researchers say. London Daily Mail, United Kingdom. 14 May Call for Papers: International Journal of Pediatrics.  The focus of this special issue is on toxic exposures to children in countries with rapidly developing economies. Manuscripts are due July 13th. 14 May Study: Citywide Smoking Ban Reduced Maternal Smoking and Risk for Preterm Birth. A citywide smoking ban in Colorado provided a natural experiment. The experimental citywide smoking ban site was implemented in Pueblo, Colorado. A comparison community was chosen that had no smoking ban, El Paso County, with similar characteristics of population, size, and geography. This is the first evidence in the United States that population-level intervention using a smoking ban improved maternal and fetal outcomes, measured as maternal smoking and preterm births. Journal of Women's Health. 13 May U.S. Senator Dick Durbin calls for reform on flame retardant chemicals. Reacting with outrage to the Chicago Tribune's investigation of deceptive tactics that have fueled the rise of toxic flame retardants in American homes, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin on Thursday demanded answers from two federal agencies, urging them to act aggressively to rid homes of chemicals that pose health risks but don't stave off fires. Chicago Tribune, Illinois. 12 May Prenatal smoking tied to worse asthma in kids. Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy may have a tougher time controlling their asthma than other kids do, a new study suggests. Reuters. 11 May Study: Testosterone-Fueled Infantile Males Might Be a Product of Mom's Behavior. By comparing the testosterone levels of five-month old pairs of twins, both identical and non-identical, University of Montreal researchers were able to establish that testosterone levels in infancy are not inherited genetically but rather determined by environmental factors. Science Daily.
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Fertility/Reproductive Health
Working Group
CHE's Fertility/Reproductive Health Working Group sets the table for over 400 diverse members to come together around environmental impacts to fertility and reproductive health. The goal of this dynamic conversation is to discern what the science is telling us, where the research gaps are, and how we can effectively support and promote science-based education and action. Read more...
If you would like to join and are already a CHE Partner, send us an email request. Or become a CHE Partner and indicate your interest in your application.
For more information, please contact Karin Russ at karin@healthandenvironment.org.
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Carlo V. Bellieni, MD, is a neonatologist and a bioethicist. Dr. Bellieni is the Director of the neonatal intensive therapy unit at the Siena University Hospital. He serves as Secretary of the Bioethics Committee of the Italian Pediatrics Society, and is a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life and of the Directive Board of the Scienza e Vita Association. Dr. Bellieni is the author of many clinical research papers in international scientific journals, including studies on electromagnetic emission from neonatal incubators and on pain in children, and has written several books in Italian, Spanish, French, and English on neonatal pain and bioethics.
Kaylon Bruner-Tran is an associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University’s Women’s Reproductive Health Research Center. Dr. Bruner-Tran is also the chair of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s (ASRM) Special Interest Group on Nutrition (NutriSIG). Dr. Kaylon Bruner-Tran discussed research findings on the adult reproductive consequences of a prior fetal exposure to dioxin, as well as the amelioration of these effects by fish oil supplementation, using a mouse model.