Studying the gestational diabetes risk associated with endocrine-disrupting chemicals

Pregnancy presents a unique opportunity for ob.gyns. to counsel their patients on the benefits of adopting healthy lifestyle habits. Women routinely seek care from a practitioner on a regular basis. Expectant mothers are highly motivated to take care of themselves for the sake of their developing babies. Patients can be much more receptive to recommendations from their health care teams during pregnancy than they might be outside of pregnancy. Frequent biometric analyses allow ob.gyns. to monitor patients’ progress and let them know, in a supportive manner, where they might be “falling short” of their health goals.

Although ob.gyns. might affect a woman’s diet, exercise, or even tobacco product use during pregnancy, one of the influences on pregnancy outcomes we cannot control is her exposure to environmental factors such as pollution, pathogenic microbes, and chemicals that are part and parcel of modern life. For example, the 2016 Zika virus pandemic brought to the fore how vulnerable patients – both mothers and babies – are to the external conditions surrounding their homes. However, not every harmful entity found in our environment can be contained with vigilant destruction of mosquito-conducive conditions or blanketing affected neighborhoods with insecticides.

There are a number of chemicals with which we come in contact every day, sometimes multiple times in a day, which may deeply affect our health. This month’s Master Class highlights one such group of compounds, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, the most widely known of which is bisphenol A (BPA).

Several years ago, our guest author, Dr. Shelley Ehrlich of the University of Cincinnati, spoke at a diabetes in pregnancy meeting about her research on BPA and its potential association with the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). As a perinatologist who worked for many years with patients who had diabetes in pregnancy, I was particularly struck by her preliminary findings which indicated that BPA might be altering gene expression, thereby leading to pregnancy-related disorders. At the time, Dr. Ehrlich’s research was still in the very early stages. However, her results were a new way of answering the age-old question of why some women, including those without other overt risk factors, might develop GDM.

Therefore, I’m delighted that Dr. Ehrlich agreed to author this month’s class to provide an overview of where her last few years of research has taken her.

Dr. Reece, who specializes in maternal-fetal medicine, is vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, as well as the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and dean of the school of medicine. Dr. Reece said he had no relevant financial disclosures. He is the medical editor of this column. Contact him at [email protected].

Pregnancy presents a unique opportunity for ob.gyns. to counsel their patients on the benefits of adopting healthy lifestyle habits. Women routinely seek care from a practitioner on a regular basis. Expectant mothers are highly motivated to take care of themselves for the sake of their developing babies. Patients can be much more receptive to recommendations from their health care teams during pregnancy than they might be outside of pregnancy. Frequent biometric analyses allow ob.gyns. to monitor patients’ progress and let them know, in a supportive manner, where they might be “falling short” of their health goals.

Although ob.gyns. might affect a woman’s diet, exercise, or even tobacco product use during pregnancy, one of the influences on pregnancy outcomes we cannot control is her exposure to environmental factors such as pollution, pathogenic microbes, and chemicals that are part and parcel of modern life. For example, the 2016 Zika virus pandemic brought to the fore how vulnerable patients – both mothers and babies – are to the external conditions surrounding their homes. However, not every harmful entity found in our environment can be contained with vigilant destruction of mosquito-conducive conditions or blanketing affected neighborhoods with insecticides.

There are a number of chemicals with which we come in contact every day, sometimes multiple times in a day, which may deeply affect our health. This month’s Master Class highlights one such group of compounds, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, the most widely known of which is bisphenol A (BPA).

Several years ago, our guest author, Dr. Shelley Ehrlich of the University of Cincinnati, spoke at a diabetes in pregnancy meeting about her research on BPA and its potential association with the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). As a perinatologist who worked for many years with patients who had diabetes in pregnancy, I was particularly struck by her preliminary findings which indicated that BPA might be altering gene expression, thereby leading to pregnancy-related disorders. At the time, Dr. Ehrlich’s research was still in the very early stages. However, her results were a new way of answering the age-old question of why some women, including those without other overt risk factors, might develop GDM.

Therefore, I’m delighted that Dr. Ehrlich agreed to author this month’s class to provide an overview of where her last few years of research has taken her.

Dr. Reece, who specializes in maternal-fetal medicine, is vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, as well as the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and dean of the school of medicine. Dr. Reece said he had no relevant financial disclosures. He is the medical editor of this column. Contact him at [email protected].

Pregnancy presents a unique opportunity for ob.gyns. to counsel their patients on the benefits of adopting healthy lifestyle habits. Women routinely seek care from a practitioner on a regular basis. Expectant mothers are highly motivated to take care of themselves for the sake of their developing babies. Patients can be much more receptive to recommendations from their health care teams during pregnancy than they might be outside of pregnancy. Frequent biometric analyses allow ob.gyns. to monitor patients’ progress and let them know, in a supportive manner, where they might be “falling short” of their health goals.

Although ob.gyns. might affect a woman’s diet, exercise, or even tobacco product use during pregnancy, one of the influences on pregnancy outcomes we cannot control is her exposure to environmental factors such as pollution, pathogenic microbes, and chemicals that are part and parcel of modern life. For example, the 2016 Zika virus pandemic brought to the fore how vulnerable patients – both mothers and babies – are to the external conditions surrounding their homes. However, not every harmful entity found in our environment can be contained with vigilant destruction of mosquito-conducive conditions or blanketing affected neighborhoods with insecticides.

There are a number of chemicals with which we come in contact every day, sometimes multiple times in a day, which may deeply affect our health. This month’s Master Class highlights one such group of compounds, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, the most widely known of which is bisphenol A (BPA).

Several years ago, our guest author, Dr. Shelley Ehrlich of the University of Cincinnati, spoke at a diabetes in pregnancy meeting about her research on BPA and its potential association with the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). As a perinatologist who worked for many years with patients who had diabetes in pregnancy, I was particularly struck by her preliminary findings which indicated that BPA might be altering gene expression, thereby leading to pregnancy-related disorders. At the time, Dr. Ehrlich’s research was still in the very early stages. However, her results were a new way of answering the age-old question of why some women, including those without other overt risk factors, might develop GDM.

Therefore, I’m delighted that Dr. Ehrlich agreed to author this month’s class to provide an overview of where her last few years of research has taken her.

Dr. Reece, who specializes in maternal-fetal medicine, is vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, as well as the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and dean of the school of medicine. Dr. Reece said he had no relevant financial disclosures. He is the medical editor of this column. Contact him at [email protected].