Evidence mapPaperPMID 39798662Full record

ArticleEnvironmental research2025

Associations of maternal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance plasma concentrations during pregnancy with offspring polycystic ovary syndrome and related characteristics in project viva.

Zifan Wang, Abby Fleisch, Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman, Antonia M Calafat, Tamarra James-Todd, Brent A Coull, Jorge E Chavarro, Marie-France Hivert, Rachel C Whooten, Wei Perng and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Environmental research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Association between exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2026
    Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Zifan WangDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: zwang@hsph.harvard.edu.
Abby FleischCenter for Interdisciplinary Population and Health Research, MaineHealth Institute for Research, Westbrook, ME, USA; Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME, USA.
Sheryl L Rifas-ShimanDivision of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Antonia M CalafatDivision of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Tamarra James-ToddDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Brent A CoullDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Jorge E ChavarroDepartment of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Marie-France HivertDivision of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Diabetes Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Rachel C WhootenDepartment of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, USA.
Wei PerngDepartment of Epidemiology and the Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
Emily OkenDivision of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Shruthi MahalingaiahDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

Funding

TOXICOLOGYP30ES000002 · NIEHS · HARVARD UNIVERSITY (SCH OF PUBLIC HLTH) · PI Douglas W Dockery · 1985 to 2023
$12.4M
PILOT STUDY--SUBSTRATE METABOLISM IN EXTREMELY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTSP30DK048520 · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 1995 to 2025
$7.7M
Prenatal environmental determinants of health in young adulthood: a lifecourse approachR01HD034568 · HARVARD PILGRIM HEALTH CARE, INC. · 1998 to 2025
$3.6M
Training Program in Environmental EpidemiologyT32ES007069 · HARVARD UNIVERSITY (SCH OF PUBLIC HLTH) · 1985 to 2005
$2.9M
Environmental Chemicals, Adiposity, and Bone Accrual Across AdolescenceR01ES030101 · NIEHS · MAINEHEALTH · PI Abby Fleisch · 2022 to 2023
$901k
Maintain and Enrich Resource Infrastructure for Project Viva: a pre-birth cohort with follow up into adolescenceR24ES030894 · NIEHS · HARVARD PILGRIM HEALTH CARE, INC. · PI Emily Oken · 2023 to 2024
$796k
Environmental Epidemiology in Community SettingsT32ES014562 · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2025 to 2025
$583k
NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD034568NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK048520NIEHS NIH HHS K23 ES024803NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES000002NIEHS NIH HHS R00 ES022986NIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES021447NIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES030101NIEHS NIH HHS R24 ES030894NIEHS NIH HHS T32 ES007069NIEHS NIH HHS T32 ES014562NIH HHS UH3 OD023286
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may impact ovarian folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis, but whether prenatal exposure may impact offspring reproductive health is unknown. This study examines the extent to which maternal PFAS plasma concentrations during pregnancy are associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and related characteristics in female offspring.

methodsWe studied 322 mother-daughter pairs in Project Viva, a Boston-area longitudinal pre-birth cohort enrolled 1999-2002. We examined associations of maternal prenatal (median: 9.6 weeks gestation) plasma concentrations of six PFAS (log2 transformed) with PCOS and related characteristics among daughters during mid-to-late adolescence. We estimated the associations of single PFAS and PFAS as a mixture with each outcome, using logistic regression and quantile g-computation, respectively, adjusting for parity, and maternal sociodemographic and other lifestyle/health factors.

resultsAmong the 322 mother-daughter pairs, the majority of mothers identified as non-Hispanic White and had a college degree, and 13% of daughters had either self-reported PCOS or probable PCOS based on irregular menstrual cycles and clinical or biochemical markers of hyperandrogenism. Among all daughters, there were 27% with irregular menstrual cycles, 34% with hirsutism, and 6% with moderate-to-severe acne. When fully adjusted for confounders, per doubling of maternal 2-(N-ethyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamido) acetate (EtFOSAA) concentration was associated with higher odds of self-reported PCOS [OR (95% CI) = 2.66 (1.18, 5.99)], and per doubling of maternal perfluorononanoate (PFNA) concentration was associated with higher odds of moderate-to-severe acne [OR (95% CI) = 2.33 (1.09, 4.99)] in daughters with or without irregular menstrual cycles. We found no associations of the mixture of six PFAS with PCOS or related traits.

conclusionOur findings suggest a positive association between maternal concentrations of EtFOSAA and PCOS in their daughters during mid-to-late adolescence, although future studies with larger sample size and extended follow-up across the reproductive life-course are needed.

Indexed as

Environmental PollutantsFluorocarbonsMaternal ExposurePolycystic Ovary SyndromePrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsAdolescentAdultAlkanesulfonic AcidsBostonFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesPregnancyYoung AdultAlkanesulfonic AcidsEnvironmental PollutantsFluorocarbonsAndrogen excessEndocrine disrupting chemicalsMenstrual cycleOvulatory dysfunctionPFASPolycystic ovary syndrome

Identifiers

PMID39798662
PMCPMC11839318

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.