Positive Relationship between Androgen and the Endocrine Disruptor, Bisphenol A, in Normal Women and Women with Ovarian Dysfunction

TLDR

The study aimed to assess serum bisphenol A levels in women with ovarian dysfunction and obesity. Fasting serum samples from 19 non‑obese and 7 obese women—including those with hyperprolactinemia, hypothalamic amenorrhea, and PCOS—were analyzed for BPA using an ELISA. BPA was detectable in all samples, with significantly higher concentrations in PCOS patients (both non‑obese and obese) and obese normal women, and it positively correlated with total and free testosterone, androstenedione, and DHEAS, indicating a strong association between BPA and androgen levels.

Abstract

This study was performed to investigate the serum levels of bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, in women with ovarian dysfunction and obesity. Fasting serum samples were obtained from 19 non-obese and 7 obese women with normal menstrual cycles: 7 patients with hyperprolactinemia, 21 patients with hypothalamic amenorrhea, and 13 non-obese and 6 obese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). BPA was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. BPA was detected in all human sera. Serum BPA concentrations were significantly higher in both non-obese and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (1.05 ± 0.10 ng/ml, 1.17 ± 0.16 ng/ml; p<0.05, respectively) and obese normal women (1.04 ± 0.09 ng/ml, p<0.05) compared with those in non-obese normal women (0.71 ± 0.09 ng/ml). There was no difference among women with hyperprolactinemia, women with hypothalamic amenorrhea, and non-obese normal women. There were significant positive correlations between serum BPA and total testosterone (r = 0.391, p<0.001), free testosterone (r = 0.504, p<0.001), androstenedione (r = 0.684, p<0.001), and DHEAS (r = 0.514, p<0.001) concentrations in all subjects. These findings show that there is a strong relationship between serum BPA and androgen concentrations, speculatively due to the effect of androgen on the metabolism of BPA.