Domestic Use of Solvents and Pesticides and the Risk of Hypospadias in Offspring: A Case–Control Study From Brittany, France
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: There is a growing concern about the potential role of environmental exposure in congenital male anomalies. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the association between the domestic use of products containing solvents or pesticides during pregnancy and the risk of hypospadias in the offspring. METHODS: We included newborns from the PENEW case-control study, which took place in Brittany, France, from October 2012 to December 2018. Newborns affected with hypospadias (n = 100) were matched with one to four controls (n = 283) according to the biological sex assigned at birth, center of birth, year, and season of birth. We assessed self-reported domestic exposure to solvents (cosmetics, house cleaning, and home renovation products) and pesticides (used indoors and outdoors) through a maternal questionnaire at birth. We performed multivariable conditional logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: The self-reported use of indoor pesticides during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of hypospadias in offspring (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.68, 95% CI = 1.5, 4.81), especially those against wood insects (aOR = 13.19, 95% CI = 1.11, 59.57), rodents (aOR = 4.61, 95% CI = 1.03, 20.7), and flying and crawling insects (aOR = 2.77, 95% CI = 1.46, 5.28). Other studies have shown that domestic exposure was not statistically significantly associated with a risk of hypospadias. CONCLUSION: The use of indoor pesticides during pregnancy may be associated with a higher risk of hypospadias in offspring, especially those against flying and crawling insects. Further studies might be needed to identify specific molecules to target and confirm our results on a larger sample.
Source: Birth Defects Research
DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.2476
Language: English
Subfield: Urology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4409781605