Semin Reprod Med 2013; 31(05): 325-332
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1348890
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Do In Utero Events Contribute to Current Health Disparities in Reproductive Medicine?

May-Tal Sauerbrun-Cutler
1   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, New York, New York
,
James H. Segars
1   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, New York, New York
› Institutsangaben
Weitere Informationen

Publikationsverlauf

Publikationsdatum:
09. August 2013 (online)

Abstract

Health disparities exist in reproductive medicine as discussed in detail in the subsequent articles of this issue; however, in most cases, the exact cause of these differences is unknown. Some of these disparities can be linked to environmental exposures such as alcohol and other hazardous toxic exposures (polycarbonate, pesticides, nicotine) in adults. In addition, low socioeconomic status, behavioral risk factors, and lack of education have been linked to poor obstetric and reproductive outcomes in minority groups. Aside from these various environmental exposures later in life, there is evidence that adverse events in utero could contribute to poor reproductive outcome in specific minority groups. We will focus on the developmental origins of health and disease as a possible causal mechanism for health disparities in reproductive diseases, as this perspective may suggest tractable solutions of how to address and eliminate these health disparities.

 
  • References

  • 1 Barouki R, Gluckman PD, Grandjean P, Hanson M, Heindel JJ. Developmental origins of non-communicable disease: implications for research and public health. Environ Health 2012; 11: 42
  • 2 Swanson JM, Entringer S, Buss C, Wadhwa PD. Developmental origins of health and disease: environmental exposures. Semin Reprod Med 2009; 27 (5) 391-402
  • 3 Lumey LH. Reproductive outcomes in women prenatally exposed to undernutrition: a review of findings from the Dutch famine birth cohort. Proc Nutr Soc 1998; 57 (1) 129-135
  • 4 Barker DJ. The Wellcome Foundation Lecture, 1994. The fetal origins of adult disease. Proc Biol Sci 1995; 262 (1363) 37-43
  • 5 Roseboom TJ, van der Meulen JH, Ravelli AC, Osmond C, Barker DJ, Bleker OP. Effects of prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine on adult disease in later life: an overview. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2001; 185 (1–2) 93-98
  • 6 Bavdekar A, Yajnik CS, Fall CH , et al. Insulin resistance syndrome in 8-year-old Indian children: small at birth, big at 8 years, or both?. Diabetes 1999; 48 (12) 2422-2429
  • 7 Entringer S, Wüst S, Kumsta R , et al. Prenatal psychosocial stress exposure is associated with insulin resistance in young adults. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008; 199 (5) e1-e7
  • 8 Fryar C. Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Extreme Obesity Among Adults: United States, Trends 1960–1962 Through 2009–2010. Health E-Stats, CDC/National Center for Health Statistics Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys; 2012
  • 9 Martyn CN, Barker DJ, Osmond C. Mothers' pelvic size, fetal growth, and death from stroke and coronary heart disease in men in the UK. Lancet 1996; 348 (9037) 1264-1268
  • 10 Phillips DIW, Barker DJP, Hales CN, Hirst S, Osmond C. Thinness at birth and insulin resistance in adult life. Diabetologia 1994; 37 (2) 150-154
  • 11 Moore-Greene GM, Gross SM, Silver KD, Perrino CS. Chronic stress and decreased physical exercise: impact on weight for African American women. Ethn Dis 2012; 22 (2) 185-191
  • 12 Oken E. Maternal and child obesity: the causal link. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am 2009; 36 (2) 361-377 , ix–x
  • 13 Dong M, Zheng Q, Ford SP, Nathanielsz PW, Ren J. Maternal obesity, lipotoxicity and cardiovascular diseases in offspring. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2013; 55: 111-116
  • 14 Bocock PN, Aagaard-Tillery KM. Animal models of epigenetic inheritance. Semin Reprod Med 2009; 27 (5) 369-379
  • 15 Yajnik CS, Deshmukh US. Maternal nutrition, intrauterine programming and consequential risks in the offspring. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 2008; 9 (3) 203-211
  • 16 Sen S, Simmons RA. Maternal antioxidant supplementation prevents adiposity in the offspring of Western diet-fed rats. Diabetes 2010; 59 (12) 3058-3065
  • 17 Maheshwari A, Stofberg L, Bhattacharya S. Effect of overweight and obesity on assisted reproductive technology—a systematic review. Hum Reprod Update 2007; 13 (5) 433-444
  • 18 Relton CL, Groom A, St Pourcain B , et al. DNA methylation patterns in cord blood DNA and body size in childhood. PLoS ONE 2012; 7 (3) e31821
  • 19 Manikkam M, Guerrero-Bosagna C, Tracey R, Haque MM, Skinner MK. Transgenerational actions of environmental compounds on reproductive disease and identification of epigenetic biomarkers of ancestral exposures. PLoS ONE 2012; 7 (2) e31901
  • 20 Tobi EW, Lumey LH, Talens RP , et al. DNA methylation differences after exposure to prenatal famine are common and timing- and sex-specific. Hum Mol Genet 2009; 18 (21) 4046-4053
  • 21 Heijmans BT, Tobi EW, Stein AD , et al. Persistent epigenetic differences associated with prenatal exposure to famine in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105 (44) 17046-17049
  • 22 Hoyo C, Fortner K, Murtha AP , et al. Association of cord blood methylation fractions at imprinted insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2), plasma IGF2, and birth weight. Cancer Causes Control 2012; 23 (4) 635-645
  • 23 Bruner-Tran KL, Osteen KG. Developmental exposure to TCDD reduces fertility and negatively affects pregnancy outcomes across multiple generations. Reprod Toxicol 2011; 31 (3) 344-350
  • 24 Anway MD, Skinner MK. Transgenerational effects of the endocrine disruptor vinclozolin on the prostate transcriptome and adult onset disease. Prostate 2008; 68 (5) 517-529
  • 25 Suter MA, Aagaard-Tillery KM. Environmental influences on epigenetic profiles. Semin Reprod Med 2009; 27 (5) 380-390
  • 26 UNICEF and WHO. Low Birthweight: Country, Regional and Global Estimates. UNICEF Publications; 2004. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity_adult_09_10/obesity_adult_09_10.pdf
  • 27 Fauser BC, Tarlatzis BC, Rebar RW , et al. Consensus on women's health aspects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): the Amsterdam ESHRE/ASRM-Sponsored 3rd PCOS Consensus Workshop Group. Fertil Steril 2012; 97 (1) 28-38 , e25
  • 28 Entringer S, Buss C, Wadhwa PD. Prenatal stress and developmental programming of human health and disease risk: concepts and integration of empirical findings. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes 2010; 17 (6) 507-516
  • 29 Johnelle Sparks P. One size does not fit all: an examination of low birthweight disparities among a diverse set of racial/ethnic groups. Matern Child Health J 2009; 13 (6) 769-779
  • 30 Kochanek KD, Kirmeyer SE, Martin JA, Strobino DM, Guyer B. Annual summary of vital statistics: 2009. Pediatrics 2012; 129 (2) 338-348
  • 31 Rooney K, Ozanne SE. Maternal over-nutrition and offspring obesity predisposition: targets for preventative interventions. Int J Obes (Lond) 2011; 35 (7) 883-890
  • 32 Fall CH. Fetal programming and the risk of noncommunicable disease. Indian J Pediatr 2013; 80 (Suppl. 01) S13-S20
  • 33 Verkauskiene R, Beltrand J, Claris O , et al. Impact of fetal growth restriction on body composition and hormonal status at birth in infants of small and appropriate weight for gestational age. Eur J Endocrinol 2007; 157 (5) 605-612
  • 34 Ibáñez L, Lopez-Bermejo A, Díaz M, Suárez L, de Zegher F. Low-birth weight children develop lower sex hormone binding globulin and higher dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels and aggravate their visceral adiposity and hypoadiponectinemia between six and eight years of age. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94 (10) 3696-3699
  • 35 Sloboda DM, Hickey M, Hart R. Reproduction in females: the role of the early life environment. Hum Reprod Update 2011; 17 (2) 210-227
  • 36 Hanson M, Gluckman P. Developmental origins of noncommunicable disease: population and public health implications. Am J Clin Nutr 2011; 94 (6, Suppl): 1754S-1758S
  • 37 Calkins K, Devaskar SU. Fetal origins of adult disease. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care 2011; 41 (6) 158-176
  • 38 Fernandez-Twinn DS, Ozanne SE, Ekizoglou S , et al. The maternal endocrine environment in the low-protein model of intra-uterine growth restriction. Br J Nutr 2003; 90 (4) 815-822
  • 39 Arbour MW, Corwin EJ, Salsberry PJ, Atkins M. Racial differences in the health of childbearing-aged women. MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs 2012; 37 (4) 262-268
  • 40 Fujimoto VY, Luke B, Brown MB , et al; Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Writing Group. Racial and ethnic disparities in assisted reproductive technology outcomes in the United States. Fertil Steril 2010; 93 (2) 382-390
  • 41 Melamed N, Ben-Haroush A, Chen R , et al. Failure of cervical ripening with PGE2—can it be predicted?. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008; 199 (6) S62-S62
  • 42 Catov JM, Nohr EA, Olsen J, Ness RB. Chronic hypertension related to risk for preterm and term small for gestational age births. Obstet Gynecol 2008; 112 (2, Pt 1) 290-296
  • 43 Goldenberg RL, Culhane JF, Iams JD, Romero R. Epidemiology and causes of preterm birth. Lancet 2008; 371 (9606) 75-84
  • 44 Chen A, Klebanoff MA, Basso O. Pre-pregnancy body mass index change between pregnancies and preterm birth in the following pregnancy. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2009; 23 (3) 207-215
  • 45 Di Renzo GC, Giardina I, Rosati A, Clerici G, Torricelli M, Petraglia F. Italian Preterm Network Study Group. Maternal risk factors for preterm birth: a country-based population analysis. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2011; 159 (2) 342-346
  • 46 Whitehead N, Helms K. Racial and ethnic differences in preterm delivery among low-risk women. Ethn Dis 2010; 20 (3) 261-266
  • 47 Collins Jr JW, Rankin KM, David RJ. African American women's lifetime upward economic mobility and preterm birth: the effect of fetal programming. Am J Public Health 2011; 101 (4) 714-719
  • 48 McConaha ME, Ding T, Lucas JA, Arosh JA, Osteen KG, Bruner-Tran KL. Preconception omega-3 fatty acid supplementation of adult male mice with a history of developmental 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin exposure prevents preterm birth in unexposed female partners. Reproduction 2011; 142 (2) 235-241
  • 49 Calder PC. N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and inflammation: from molecular biology to the clinic. Lipids 2003; 38 (4) 343-352
  • 50 Faber J, Berkhout M, Vos AP , et al. Supplementation with a fish oil-enriched, high-protein medical food leads to rapid incorporation of EPA into white blood cells and modulates immune responses within one week in healthy men and women. J Nutr 2011; 141 (5) 964-970
  • 51 Harper M, Thom E, Klebanoff MA , et al; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation to prevent recurrent preterm birth: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol 2010; 115 (2, Pt 1) 234-242
  • 52 Dunlop AL, Kramer MR, Hogue CJ, Menon R, Ramakrishan U. Racial disparities in preterm birth: an overview of the potential role of nutrient deficiencies. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2011; 90 (12) 1332-1341
  • 53 Makrides M, Duley L, Olsen SF. Marine oil, and other prostaglandin precursor, supplementation for pregnancy uncomplicated by pre-eclampsia or intrauterine growth restriction. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2006; (3) CD003402
  • 54 Meikle D, Westberg M. Maternal nutrition and reproduction of daughters in wild house mice (Mus musculus). Reproduction 2001; 122 (3) 437-442
  • 55 Sullivan TM, Micke GC, Greer RM, Irving-Rodgers HF, Rodgers RJ, Perry VE. Dietary manipulation of Bos indicus x heifers during gestation affects the reproductive development of their heifer calves. Reprod Fertil Dev 2009; 21 (6) 773-784
  • 56 Seifer DB, Zackula R, Grainger DA. Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Writing Group Report. Trends of racial disparities in assisted reproductive technology outcomes in black women compared with white women: Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology 1999 and 2000 vs. 2004-2006. Fertil Steril 2010; 93 (2) 626-635
  • 57 Baker VL, Luke B, Brown MB , et al. Multivariate analysis of factors affecting probability of pregnancy and live birth with in vitro fertilization: an analysis of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcomes Reporting System. Fertil Steril 2010; 94 (4) 1410-1416
  • 58 Purcell K, Schembri M, Frazier LM , et al. Asian ethnicity is associated with a reduced pregnancy outcome after assisted reproductive technology. Fertility and Sterility 2007; 87 (2) 297-302
  • 59 Dayal MB, Gindoff P, Dubey A , et al. Does ethnicity influence in vitro fertilization (IVF) birth outcomes?. Fertil Steril 2009; 91 (6) 2414-2418
  • 60 Katari S, Turan N, Bibikova M , et al. DNA methylation and gene expression differences in children conceived in vitro or in vivo. Hum Mol Genet 2009; 18 (20) 3769-3778
  • 61 Fleming TP, Kwong WY, Porter R , et al. The embryo and its future. Biol Reprod 2004; 71 (4) 1046-1054
  • 62 Azziz R, Woods KS, Reyna R, Key TJ, Knochenhauer ES, Yildiz BO. The prevalence and features of the polycystic ovary syndrome in an unselected population. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004; 89 (6) 2745-2749
  • 63 Coney P, Ladson G, Sweet S, Legro RS. Does polycystic ovary syndrome increase the disparity in metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular-related health for African-American women?. Semin Reprod Med 2008; 26 (1) 35-38
  • 64 Segars JH, DeCherney AH. Is there a genetic basis for polycystic ovary syndrome?. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010; 95 (5) 2058-2060
  • 65 Hickey TE, Legro RS, Norman RJ. Epigenetic modification of the X chromosome influences susceptibility to polycystic ovary syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006; 91 (7) 2789-2791
  • 66 Abbott DH, Barnett DK, Bruns CM, Dumesic DA. Androgen excess fetal programming of female reproduction: a developmental aetiology for polycystic ovary syndrome?. Hum Reprod Update 2005; 11 (4) 357-374
  • 67 Yang QH, Carter HK, Mulinare J, Berry RJ, Friedman JM, Erickson JD. Race-ethnicity differences in folic acid intake in women of childbearing age in the United States after folic acid fortification: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2002. Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85 (5) 1409-1416
  • 68 Bogdarina I, Welham S, King PJ, Burns SP, Clark AJ. Epigenetic modification of the renin-angiotensin system in the fetal programming of hypertension. Circ Res 2007; 100 (4) 520-526