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The association of urinary xenoestrogens levels in pregnant women and their risk of missed miscarriage

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction: Environmental exposure to hormone-like compounds that mimic endogenous estrogens is widespread. Xenoestrogens, a class of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, may interfere with endocrine function and adversely affect pregnancy outcomes. However, their association with missed miscarriage remains unclear. This study investigated the association between urinary xenoestrogen concentrations and the risk of missed miscarriage. Methods: This case-control study included 75 women with missed miscarriage and 75 women with normal pregnancies in Nanjing, China. Urinary concentrations of xenoestrogens were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Associations between lifestyle factors and urinary xenoestrogen concentrations were assessed using Kendall's tau-b correlation. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for missed miscarriage per interquartile range (IQR) increase in log-transformed urinary xenoestrogen concentrations. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to evaluate the discriminatory performance of urinary xenoestrogen concentrations. Results: Urinary concentrations of five xenoestrogens were significantly higher in women with missed miscarriage than in controls. Bottled water consumption, cosmetic use, and beverage intake were positively correlated with the urinary concentrations of certain plasticizers. Higher urinary xenoestrogen concentrations were significantly associated with an increased risk of missed miscarriage. The areas under the curve ranged from 0.854 to 0.941, indicating good discriminatory performance. Conclusion: These findings suggest that detection of xenoestrogen levels may provide preliminary evidence of a potential association between environmental endocrine-disrupting exposure and missed miscarriage.

Source: Frontiers in Public Health

DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1858374