BPA May Increase Chance of Miscarriage, Study Suggests

BPA, a chemical found in many plastics and in the lining of canned food, may raise the risk of miscarriage, a new study suggests.

Researchers from Stanford University examined 115 pregnant women with a history of infertility or miscarriage. Of this total, 68 went on to have a miscarriage.

Analyzing blood samples from each of the participants beginning at the onset of pregnancy, the researchers divided the women into four groups based on their BPA levels. Despite similarities in age and other factors, women in the top quarter exhibited an 80 percent risk of miscarriage when compared to those in the bottom group.

Presented at the annual conference for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the study does not establish a conclusive link between BPA and miscarriages. It does, however, add to a growing number of studies linking BPA to reproductive and other health problems.

A study published earlier this year in the journal Human Reproduction, for example, found that eggs exposed to higher concentrations of the chemical had an increased chance of degenerating, with fewer eggs maturing. In addition, exposed eggs had a higher rate of activating spontaneously, meaning they went on to behave like they had been fertilized.

According to Dr. Ruth Lathi, a Stanford University reproductive endocrinologist, the majority of miscarriages are caused when there are problems with the egg or chromosome. It's possible, she told The Associated Press, that BPA influences this risk. Though, she notes, "It may be that women with higher BPA levels do have other risk factors" for miscarriage.

Those looking to minimize BPA exposure should avoid cooking or warming food in plastic, handling cash register receipts, leaving water bottles in the sun and limiting the use of canned foods, she told the AP.

In the end, Lathi said, "It's impossible to avoid completely."