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Non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls and risk of endometriosis
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls and risk of endometriosis

Britton Trabert, Anneclaire J De Roos, Stephen M Schwartz, Ulrike Peters, Delia Scholes, Dana B Barr and Victoria L Holt
Environmental health perspectives, v 118(9), pp 1280-1285
Sep 2010
PMID: 20423815
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Non–Dioxin-Like Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Risk of Endometriosis714.37 kBDownloadView
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https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.0901444View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)access removed by US government, 1 Dec 2025 Restricted

Abstract

Adolescent Adult Endometriosis - blood Endometriosis - etiology Female Humans Middle Aged Polychlorinated Biphenyls - blood Polychlorinated Biphenyls - toxicity Young Adult
Endometriosis, a gynecologic disorder affecting 8-10% of reproductive-age women in the United States, is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus and is linked to pelvic pain and infertility. Environmental contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are hypothesized to contribute to endometriosis risk through effects on steroid hormones. We evaluated serum concentrations of certain noncoplanar PCBs, which have no or only weak dioxin-like properties, as risk factors for endometriosis. In a case-control study of Group Health enrollees in western Washington State, 20 PCB congeners were measured in serum from surgically confirmed endometriosis cases that were newly diagnosed between 1996 and 2001 (n = 251) and from female controls matched for age and reference year (n = 538). Summed and estrogenic PCB concentrations were not associated with endometriosis risk [summed: odds ratio (OR) = 1.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.8-2.2; estrogenic: OR = 1.1; 95% CI, 0.8-1.4]. Although several congener-specific ORs were statistically above or below the null (PCB 170: third quartile vs. lowest: OR = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.9; PCB 196: third quartile vs. lowest: OR = 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.7; PCB 201: second vs. lowest: OR = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.8; third quartile vs. lowest: OR = 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.7), there were no overall consistent patterns of endometriosis risk. Taken in context with other North American studies, our findings suggest that noncoplanar PCB concentrations consistent within the range of exposure currently observed in western Washington State do not contribute meaningfully to endometriosis risk.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Environmental Sciences
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Toxicology
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