# Exposure to phthalate mixtures in pregnancy and long-term consequences for maternal metabolic and hormonal status

> **NIH NIH R01** · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $415,848

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
As many as 86% of women will give birth to at least one child, and pregnancy has long-term consequences for
women’s metabolic health, including obesity and glucose homeostasis. However, little is understood about
modifiable factors in pregnancy that can improve women’s health postnatally. Phthalates are endocrine
disrupting chemicals to which almost all women are exposed from personal care products and food contact
materials. Recent evidence suggests that phthalate exposure in pregnancy is associated with disrupted
gestational weight gain and glucose homeostasis in mothers. However, whether these metabolic disruptions
persist postnatally is not currently known. Therefore, we will leverage an ongoing pregnancy cohort study that
has already assessed phthalate concentrations in pregnant women to follow these mothers and ask whether
prenatal phthalate exposure is associated with disrupted adiposity and metabolism 4-7 years later. Importantly,
we will assess cumulative exposure to a complex mixture of phthalates, since pregnant women have concurrent
exposure to numerous phthalates.
Phthalates can disrupt estrogen biosynthesis, and several studies (including our preliminary work) suggest that
phthalate exposures are associated with disrupted estrogen levels in pregnant women. This is concerning in
pregnancy because estrogens have numerous critical functions in pregnant women, including implantation, fetal
nutrient transport, and parturition. While estrogenic disruption by phthalates in pregnancy could have deleterious
consequences for fetal development and pregnancy outcomes, whether these hormonal disruptions persist
postnatally to impact maternal health is not known. Estrogen disruption that persists after pregnancy is potentially
harmful for women’s life-long health because in non-pregnant women, estrogens regulate maternal metabolic
health, including weight, metabolic efficiency, insulin sensitivity, and appetite. Therefore, the current study will
also assess whether exposure to a complex mixture of phthalates in pregnancy is associated with disrupted
estrogen levels in women postnatally, and whether these prenatal endocrine disruptions that persists postnatally
drive maternal metabolic dysregulations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10231234
- **Project number:** 5R01ES032227-02
- **Recipient organization:** MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Rita S. Strakovsky
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $415,848
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-15 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10231234

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10231234, Exposure to phthalate mixtures in pregnancy and long-term consequences for maternal metabolic and hormonal status (5R01ES032227-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10231234. Licensed CC0.

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