Washington, Nov 22 (ANI): Women who are exposed to hairspray during the
early stages of pregnancy
are more than twice as likely to give birth to a son with the genital birth
defect hypospadias, according to a new study.
The research has been published in the journal Environmental Health
Perspectives.
The study is the first to show a significant link between hairspray and
hypospadias, one of the most common birth defects of the male genitalia, where
the urinary opening is displaced to the underside of the penis. The causes of
the condition are poorly understood.
Women have a two to three-fold increased risk of having a son with hypospadias
if they are exposed to hairspray in the workplace in their first trimester of
pregnancy, according to the new study, by researchers from Imperial College
London, University College Cork and the Centre for Research in Environmental
Epidemiology in Barcelona.
The study suggests that hairspray and hypospadias may be linked because of
chemicals in hairspray known as phthalates. Previous studies have proposed that
phthalates may disrupt the hormonal systems in the body and affect reproductive
development.
Usually, hypospadias can be successfully treated with corrective surgery after a
boy reaches his first birthday, but more severe cases can lead to problems with
urinating, sexual relations and fertility.
The new research also reveals that taking folic acid supplements in the first
three months of pregnancy is associated with a 36 percent reduced risk of
bearing a child with the condition. The UK Department of Health already
recommends that folic acid supplements are taken up until the twelfth week of
pregnancy in order to prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida.
Previous smaller studies had suggested that hypospadias might be linked to
vegetarianism but the new study did not show any increased risk in women who had
a vegetarian diet during pregnancy.
Professor Paul Elliott, the corresponding author of the research from the
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Imperial College London, said:
“Hypospadias is a condition that, if left untreated, can cause problems in later
life. Although surgery to correct it is usually successful, any surgery will be
traumatic for the child and his parents.
It is encouraging that our study showed that taking folic acid supplements in
pregnancy may reduce the risk of a child being born with the condition. Further
research is needed to understand better why women exposed to hairspray at work
in the first 3 months of pregnancy may have increased risk of giving birth to a
boy with hypospadias.”
The researchers reached their conclusions after conducting detailed telephone
interviews with 471 mothers whose sons had been referred to surgeons for
hypospadias and 490 controls, across 120 London Boroughs and Local Authority
Districts. (ANI)
