Middle-aged women with elevated levels of heavy metals are more likely to have depleted ovarian function and egg reserves, which may lead to earlier arrival of menopause and its negative health effects, a new University of Michigan study shows.
Middle-aged women with elevated levels of heavy metals are more likely to have depleted ovarian function and egg reserves, which may lead to earlier arrival of menopause and its negative health effects, a new University of Michigan study shows.
Researchers reviewed data on hundreds of women approaching menopause and found that the presence of cadmium, mercury and arsenic in their urine was connected to low levels of anti-Müllerian hormone. AMH measures ovarian reserve, or the number of eggs available for fertilization or menstruation. Menopause is the time of life when hormone depletion ends monthly menstruation and sets off many changes to women’s health and wellness.
The observed magnitude of associations between heavy metals and AMH was stronger than the association between smoking and AMH, which is a known risk factor for depleted ovarian reserve, according to the study published Jan. 25 in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
“Widespread exposure to toxins in heavy metals may have a big impact on health problems linked to earlier aging of the ovaries in middle-aged women, such as hot flashes, bone weakening and osteoporosis, higher chances of heart disease, and cognitive decline,” said study author Sung Kyun Park, associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health sciences at the U-M School of Public Health.
Read more at University of Michigan
