Possible link of plastics chemical BPA to miscarriage and infertility

As study presented at ASRM 2013 in Boston and reported in the Washington Post suggests that high levels of BPA, a chemical in many plastics and canned food linings, might raise the risk of miscarriage in women prone to that problem or having trouble getting pregnant.

BPA, short for bisphenol-A, and certain other environmental chemicals can have very weak, hormone-like effects. Tests show BPA in nearly everyone’s urine, though the chemical has been removed from baby bottles and many reusable drink containers in recent years. The federal Food and Drug Administration says BPA is safe as used now in other food containers.

Researchers analyzed blood samples from women with recurrent pregnancy loss who were discovered to be pregnant and divided them into four groups based on BPA levels. Women in the top quarter had an 80 percent greater risk of miscarriage compared to those in the bottom group even though they were similar in age and other factors. However, because the study is relatively small, there was a big range of possible risk — from only slightly elevated to as much as 10 times higher.

Most miscarriages are from chromosomal problems and to try to avoid further miscarriages women with recurrent pregnancy loss can take advantage of IVF with preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) which allows doctors to select only chromosomally normal embryos for transfer.

In the meantime, to minimize BPA exposure, avoid cooking or warming food in plastic because heat helps the chemical leak out. Don’t leave water bottles in the sun, limit use of canned foods and avoid handling cash register receipts, which often are coated with resins that contain BPA.