ijerph-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

The Effects of Environmental Exposure on Reproductive Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Public Health Statistics and Risk Assessment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 16433

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Chemical Safety, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Łódź, Poland
2. Department of Toxicology, Medical University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland
Interests: occupational and environmental health issues; risk assessment of health effects of selected exposures; reproductive health; male and female fertility; exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Epidemiological data show that human reproductive disorders are a common problem worldwide, because they concern one-sixth of all couples. The obtaining of pregnancy and the health state of the baby depends on the quality of the genetic material of man and woman both. Environmental factors directly affect the quality of sperm as well the human egg cell. The influence of detrimental environmental exposure is explained via the free radical imbalance leading to oxidative stress and genetic dysfunctions. The main causes for a decrease in fertility which are taken into consideration are: exposure to air pollution, plant protection products, heavy metals as well as the effect of the surrounding sources of electromagnetic fields. The Special Issue will consider then update the existing literature on the effects of environmental exposure on reproductive health. I would like to invite you to contribute a paper for publication in our upcoming Special Issue- The Effects of Environmental Exposure on Reproductive Health. 

Dr. Artur Wdowiak
Dr. Joanna Jurewicz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • air pollution
  • BPA
  • electromagnetic fields
  • heavy metals
  • infertility
  • reproductive health
  • pesticide
  • toxic exposures
  • women’s health

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

10 pages, 337 KiB  
Article
Environmental Factors and Endometriosis
by Grzegorz Polak, Beata Banaszewska, Michał Filip, Michał Radwan and Artur Wdowiak
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11025; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111025 - 20 Oct 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4455
Abstract
Endometriosis is a common disease, affecting up to 60–80% of women, with pelvic pain or/and infertility. Despite years of studies, its pathogenesis still remains enigmatic. Genetic, hormonal, environmental, and lifestyle-related factors may be involved in its pathogenesis. Thus, the design of the review [...] Read more.
Endometriosis is a common disease, affecting up to 60–80% of women, with pelvic pain or/and infertility. Despite years of studies, its pathogenesis still remains enigmatic. Genetic, hormonal, environmental, and lifestyle-related factors may be involved in its pathogenesis. Thus, the design of the review was to discuss the possible role of environmental factors in the development of endometriosis. The results of individual studies greatly differ, making it very difficult to draw any definite conclusions. There is no reasonable consistency in the role of environmental factors in endometriosis etiopathogenesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Environmental Exposure on Reproductive Health)
10 pages, 342 KiB  
Article
Urinary Bisphenol A Concentrations and Parameters of Ovarian Reserve among Women from a Fertility Clinic
by Ewelina Czubacka, Bartosz Wielgomas, Anna Klimowska, Michał Radwan, Paweł Radwan, Anetta Karwacka, Paweł Kałużny and Joanna Jurewicz
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(15), 8041; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18158041 - 29 Jul 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2900
Abstract
Background: Human exposure to environmentally widespread endocrine disruptors, especially bisphenol A (BPA), has been suggested to affect reproductive health. Animal studies indicate that BPA may play a role in the process of reproduction and impact on maturing oocytes, meiotic cell division or fertilization [...] Read more.
Background: Human exposure to environmentally widespread endocrine disruptors, especially bisphenol A (BPA), has been suggested to affect reproductive health. Animal studies indicate that BPA may play a role in the process of reproduction and impact on maturing oocytes, meiotic cell division or fertilization rate. Nevertheless, data regarding the effects of exposure to BPA on women’s ovarian function are still limited. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to assess the effects of environmental exposure to BPA on ovarian reserve. Methods: The study participants consisted of 511 women in reproductive age (25–39 years) who attended an infertility clinic for diagnosis, due to the couples’ infertility. BPA urinary concentrations were assessed by the validated gas chromatography ion-trap mass spectrometry method. The ovarian reserve was assessed using ovarian reserve parameters: Hormones concentrations: E2 (estradiol), FSH (follicle stimulating hormone), AMH (anti-Müllerian hormone), and AFC (antral follicle count). Results: In the present study, the negative association between BPA urinary concentrations and AMH (p = 0.02) and AFC (p = 0.03) levels was found. Exposure to BPA was not related to other examined parameters of ovarian reserve (FSH, E2). Conclusions: Our results suggest that BPA exposure may affect women ovarian reserve parameters and reduce ovarian reserve. As this is one of the first studies of its kind, the findings need confirmation in a further investigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Environmental Exposure on Reproductive Health)

Review

Jump to: Research

20 pages, 16419 KiB  
Review
Endocrine Disruptors Acting on Estrogen and Androgen Pathways Cause Reproductive Disorders through Multiple Mechanisms: A Review
by Saira Amir, Syed Tahir Abbas Shah, Charalampos Mamoulakis, Anca Oana Docea, Olga-Ioanna Kalantzi, Athanasios Zachariou, Daniela Calina, Felix Carvalho, Nikolaos Sofikitis, Antonios Makrigiannakis and Aristidis Tsatsakis
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(4), 1464; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041464 - 4 Feb 2021
Cited by 91 | Viewed by 8218
Abstract
Increasing contamination of the environment by toxic compounds such as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is one of the major causes of reproductive defects in both sexes. Estrogen/androgen pathways are of utmost importance in gonadal development, determination of secondary sex characteristics and gametogenesis. Most [...] Read more.
Increasing contamination of the environment by toxic compounds such as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is one of the major causes of reproductive defects in both sexes. Estrogen/androgen pathways are of utmost importance in gonadal development, determination of secondary sex characteristics and gametogenesis. Most of the EDCs mediate their action through respective receptors and/or downstream signaling. The purpose of this review is to highlight the mechanism by which EDCs can trigger antagonistic or agonistic response, acting through estrogen/androgen receptors causing reproductive defects that lead to infertility. In vitro, in vivo and in silico studies focusing on the impact of EDCs on estrogen/androgen pathways and related proteins published in the last decade were considered for the review. PUBMED and PUBCHEM were used for literature search. EDCs can bind to estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ) and androgen receptors or activate alternative receptors such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), GPR30, estrogen-related receptor (ERRγ) to activate estrogen signaling via downstream kinases. Bisphenol A, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, polychlorinated biphenyls and phthalates are major toxicants that interfere with the normal estrogen/androgen pathways leading to infertility in both sexes through many ways, including DNA damage in spermatozoids, altered methylation pattern, histone modifications and miRNA expression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Environmental Exposure on Reproductive Health)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop