Denver, CO – A team of Harvard-based investigators today told the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Scientific Congress that a fertility patient’s pre-conception exposure to common environmental toxins were associated with a higher chance of a pre-term delivery.

Examining patients being treated at a fertility clinic, the scientists used urine samples to measure concentrations of BPA and DEHP before pregnancy and in each trimester of the pregnancy. They found that the women with the highest concentration of levels of these chemicals in their bodies before they conceived were the most likely to deliver their babies pre-term.

“This research points out that pre-conception factors are an important but often poorly understand factor in reproduction. We need to further understand these factors, so we can better advise our patients and the public on what to avoid.” Said Peter Schlegel MD, President-elect of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

O-92 J Yland et al Preconception and Prenatal Exposure to Environmental Chemicals and the Risk of Preterm Birth