040. ARE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES AFFECTING HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH?

The concern that human reproductive health may be affected by chemicals in our daily environment has grown in recent years with the recognition that: (1) some countries have seen a recognizable decline in sperm counts and an increase in urogenital tract abnormalities among newborn males, (2) the incidence of some cancers has increased precipitously, and (3) the number of infertile couples has increased markedly in many countries. Our laboratory focuses on the oocyte and the factors that cause the production of chromosomally abnormal eggs. We know that the risk of a chromosomally abnormal pregnancy is strongly influenced by maternal age, but there is growing concern that environmental exposures may influence the ability of both the male and female to produce normal gametes. Our laboratory has focused on the effect of exposures to a ubiquitous chemical to which humans are exposed daily, bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is used in a wide variety of consumer products from plastics and resin coatings to eyeglasses and pressure printed receipts. Our studies in mice demonstrate that BPA exposure during fetal development adversely affects female fertility because BPA influences several significant stages of egg development. In the male mouse, we and others have found that prenatal, perinatal, and adult exposures can affect the function of the testis. In current studies we are attempting to determine if effects seen in the mouse are also a feature of BPA exposed primates. We are using a rhesus monkey model to determine how BPA is metabolized in the pregnant and nonpregnant female and how BPA exposure influences the developing fetus. Lastly, in human studies we are evaluating BPA levels in the developing fetus and assessing their effect on the developing fetal ovary.