{"id":21000,"date":"2024-07-09T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-09T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/?p=21000"},"modified":"2024-09-05T11:25:22","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T16:25:22","slug":"ftalatos-parto-prematuro-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/es\/phthalates-preterm-birth-2\/","title":{"rendered":"No te pintes las u\u00f1as durante el embarazo?: Exposici\u00f3n intrauterina a ftalatos y riesgo de parto prematuro"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cDon\u2019t eat sushi, sandwich meat, or raw cheese, and make sure you wash your fruits and vegetables extra well.\u201d These are just a few of the pieces of advice given to me during my first pregnancy. Pregnancy can be filled with so many concerns about protecting your health and your unborn child\u2019s. How do we determine which advice we need to follow? Recent research published in The Lancet Planetary Health<\/em> journal suggested another thing pregnant women need to avoid: phthalates, because of their connection to preterm birth [1].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preterm birth, defined as birth before the 37th week<\/a> of pregnancy, is a primary concern for mothers and their healthcare providers alike. It comes with known immediate and long-term health risks for infants. The CDC<\/a> has recently warned that preterm births are on the rise, and this new research on phthalates may be one piece of the puzzle; exposure to phthalates during the prenatal period could be a cause of preterm birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are phthalates?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Phthalates are synthetic chemicals used to make plastics. They\u2019re commonly known as \u201cplasticizers<\/a>,\u201d because they make whatever they\u2019re added to softer and more flexible. According to European Platicisers<\/a>, a trade association<\/a> for Europe\u2019s chemical industry, an average of 8.4 million metric tons of phthalates and other plasticizers are used yearly around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are phthalates a problem, particularly for women? <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Research suggests that phthalates encourage inflammation, disrupt the endocrine system, and cause oxidative stress in the body [2]. All of these side effects are dangerous for people in general, but they are particularly hazardous for preborn children as they develop [2].\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phthalates are in everyday plastics, like the clear plastic clamshells holding your berries and other fruits and vegetables at the grocery store. Many construction and home materials also use phthalates, which means most people are exposed to phthalates multiple times a day in and around their homes or workplaces. Women particularly may be exposed to phthalates from scented goods, nail polish, and cleaning products. There are numerous types<\/em> of phthalates, and they can be found in any number of places, even leaking into our water sources [2]. The Lancet<\/em> study focused on preterm birth risk from three of the most common phthalates: DEHP, DiNP, and DiDP.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s the connection between phthalates and preterm birth?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Phthalates are known endocrine disruptors that can affect the body\u2019s overall well-being<\/a>. These \u201ceverywhere chemicals\u201d can damage children\u2019s development, so it is no surprise that we are finding this exposure to be dangerous for fetal development as well. According to The Lancet <\/em>study researchers, phthalates increase inflammation and oxidative stress in the body.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both inflammation and oxidative stress are known precursors to preeclampsia, and oxidative stress specifically is also tied to premature rupture of membranes (PROM) [3]. Both preeclampsia and PROM are leading causes of preterm birth. Phthalate exposure also directly causes oxidative stress on the placenta, the source of nutrients and oxygen for the preborn baby. Research is increasingly connecting placental problems to preterm birth [4]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The phthalate DEHP, in particular, may be responsible for 5-10% of the preterm births that occurred in the year 2018 alone, according to the researchers [1]. The Lancet<\/em><\/a> study additionally found that the new replacements for DEHP, including DiNP, DiDP, and 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester, have done nothing to lessen or eliminate the negative endocrine effects caused by DEHP [1]. Rather, they may be contributing to the continued rise in preterm births. This is especially concerning as these DEHP replacements are increasingly being used in food packaging.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did this latest research add to what’s already known about phthalates and preterm birth? <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Lancet<\/em> researchers leveraged a large and diverse study group of 5,006 pregnant mothers. They tested their phthalate exposure via multiple urine samples throughout their pregnancies, and compared their pregnancy outcomes with their phthalate exposure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Past research targeted DEHP exposure as directly correlating with preterm birth. These findings resulted in restrictions on DEHP use, causing manufacturers to create alternatives. But the findings of this new study reported that these replacements may be more dangerous<\/a> than DEHP, thus leading to an even greater rise in preterm births since they are now in multiple daily items, including food product packaging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the findings of this new study reported that these replacements may be more dangerous<\/a> than DEHP, thus leading to an even greater rise in preterm births since they are now in multiple daily items, including food product packaging. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The researchers suggested that exposure to these types of phthalates could be the cause of approximately 56,595 preterm births<\/a> every year, leading them to encourage limitations on all phthalates with similar molecular structures.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n